Judy Lee, spouse of a Fort Irwin Soldier, was recently awarded a full scholarship from the American Freedom Foundation and Kaplan University to pursue her dream career. “Working as a forensic pathologist is my dream job,” Lee said.
After researching for online criminal justice programs, Lee came across Kaplan University. When completing the enrollment process, Lee talked with a Kaplan University financial aid advisor who told her about the Kaplan University/American Freedom Foundation (AFF) Scholarship Program.
The American Freedom Foundation scholarship will completely cover the costs of Lee’s Kaplan University classes. The scholarship program is a partnership between the foundation and Kaplan University, to offer scholarships to current and prior U.S military service members, Department of Defense (DoD) civilian employees and their family members.
The foundation provides up to a thousand partial tuition scholarships to qualified students to complete an associate’s or bachelor’s degree at Kaplan University. As an additional incentive, up to twenty students in the pool of partial scholarship winners may be awarded full scholarships from the foundation, if they receive at least a 3.9 grade point average during their first term of enrollment at Kaplan. Lee’s scholarship has an estimated value of about $45,000 a year.
Lee, originally from Korea, has spent most of her life in California. She had previously completed a medical assistant associate degree program. Coming from a family of academics who valued education highly, Lee developed an early interest in sciences, especially human anatomy, fueling her focus in forensic medicine. “Being a voice for people who cannot speak for themselves, telling authorities what happened to them, when they can no longer speak for themselves, that’s what I can be passionate about.” Lee said.
She credits her children and husband as her motivation for continuing her education. “I want my kids to be proud of me and know that no matter what obstacle you encounter, if you work hard, you can achieve your goals.”
Asked what she would say to anyone who wants to further their education, Lee replied, “Just do it. If you’re not sure how, just go and talk to someone at the school. They will help you.” Lee hopes to finish her bachelor’s degree in about two and a half years.
