Air Force veteran and ETSU student Samuel Ngata received the Help a Hero scholarship to further his education in pharmacy.
The Sport Clips Help a Hero Scholarship program aims to reduce the financial burden of higher education following post-military life and is administered by the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S., also known as the VFW. Since 2013, the primary supporter of the program, Sport Clips Haircuts, has awarded more than 1,450 scholarships totaling at $6.5 million.
Ngata is one of 165 veterans and active duty service members who were awarded a Help a Hero scholarship this semester, which provides up to $5,000 of assistance per semester toward tuition, fees and other educational expenses.
Ngata served nearly five years in the Air Force active duty from 2009 to 2014, and he was in the Air Force reserve until 2015.
“Being a veteran has been positive in my life,” Ngata said. “My time in service has enabled me to pursue my career through the GI Bill, and [I’ve] met great people that have been very supportive. I am proud to have served my country.”
Currently he is studying pharmacy to pursue further training in a residency program to be an oncology and critical care pharmacist.
Winning this scholarship enabled Ngata to expand his knowledge in the medical field during a month-long clinical rotation at Erlanger Hospital in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
“The VFW scholarship helped me pay for my living expenses during that time,” Ngata said. “In this rotation, I learned about the management and treatment of infectious diseases in a hospital setting.”
The Help a Hero Scholarship will also support his attendance at a residency conference this December in Las Vegas, Nevada, as he searches for the next step in his career.
Sport Clips will continue its Help a Hero campaign by collecting donations at various locations around the country from Oct. 14 to Nov. 11.
