better than investing in a person’s education. T_h e
dividends multiply in so many ways,” Ruhl says.
“The
military Nicole Mammarella
takes
When Lt. Col. Nick Mammarella retired from the
care of Marine Corps 14 years ago, he made a decision that
its own.”
2nd Lt. Doug Ruhl,
USAR, and his wife, Sara
required a leap of faith. He decided to enter the f_i eld
of education. He knew it would mean a pay cut and
additional schooling to become a certif_i ed teacher.
A&M [University]. In college I met friends who He and his wife, Donna, also were facing the prospect
talked about hometowns, and it was the f_i rst time I of having two children in college at the same time.
realized there was a dif_f erent way to live.” When Mammarella’s oldest, Nicole, graduated
As he f_i nishes his third year of medical school from high school in 1999, a scholarship and an
at Texas Tech University, where he founded a interest-free loan from MOAA couldn’t have come
chapter of the Military Medical Student Associa- at a better time. T_h e f_i nancial assistance “was abso-
tion, Ruhl looks forward to becoming an Army lutely crucial,” says Nicole. “It lowered the f_i nancial
doctor and carrying on his family’s tradition of burden, which made it possible for me to concen-
military service. He already has completed the trate on my coursework,” says Nicole.
Of_f_i cer Basic Leadership Course for the Medical Af_t er completing her undergraduate degree at
Corps and has applied for a fellowship in emer- Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University,
gency medicine. He says battlef_i eld medicine is Nicole was accepted to Harvard Medical School,
certainly a possibility for his future. Cambridge, Mass. She will graduate from Harvard
An interest-free loan from the Scholarship Fund in the coming year with a doctorate in genetics. She
played a pivotal role in Ruhl’s academic career. “I says receiving an MOAA scholarship and loan was a
knew I wanted to go to medical school. T_h e loan “springboard to Harvard.”
helped me cut down on working so that I could Growing up in a military family, says Nicole,
concentrate on my [undergraduate] coursework.” “broadened my view of the world, gave me a depth
Ruhl graduated f_i ve years ago with a bachelor’s of experience, and exposed me to a wide variety of
degree in genetics. He then earned a master’s people and places. To receive a scholarship from
degree in public health. Ruhl will not have to pay MOAA was so special to me. Military families are a
back his loan until he f_i nishes medical school. “In community and they look out for each other.”
that sense, it’s like a grant. All this time, the loan While his children were in college, Nick earned
accrues no interest. So it has saved me a lot of a master’s degree in educational leadership and
money,” says Ruhl.
T_h at’s not all that Ruhl likes about the Scholar-
ship Fund of MOAA: “I like that the criteria for
receiving money from MOAA is more than aca-
demic. T_h ey are looking for well-rounded, produc-
“It low-
tive citizens.” And because the loan came from
ered the
MOAA, “there is more purpose in how you will
fi nancial
use the money. T_h e military takes care of its own.
It’s one big family. I def_i nitely feel that it’s an honor
burden.”
Nicole Mammarella
to be part of that family. I can’t think of anything
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