Ronnie Harness ’20

Ronnie earner his BA in Leadership and Organizational Studies in May of 2020 and,  just weeks later, was commissioned as an officer in the U.S. Army. A year earlier, Ronnie had exhausted his GI benefits and was forced to navigate the final year of his degree with the stress of financial uncertainty. To cover tuition costs, he added full-time work to his long list of commitments and found a way to successfully balance his new job, full-time coursework, Army ROTC, Army Reserves and supporting his family. “I was stressed,” he says but “the sacrifice was worth the reward.”

To further complicate his progress to degree completion, he and his family emptied their savings to cover his fall educational costs and subsequently lost their jobs with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Soon after, Ronnie learned of the Boulos Veteran Promise Completion Scholarship from USM Veteran Services and decided to apply. The scholarship served to fill the gap between his financial aid and tuition expenses.  “This scholarship is a true blessing for my family and took the financial burden off our shoulders.”