FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
on MOAA’s educational assistance pro- grams or to apply for an interest-free loan or grant, visit
moaa.org/education. The application deadline for educational assistance is noon Eastern time Wednes- day, March 1. To contribute to the fund, visit
moaa.org/donate.
Army 2nd Lt. Mikayla Stewart watches a medical evacuation helicopter take off during a training exercise; climbs a rope (right) while completing an agility course; and troubleshoots with a fellow soldier (top).
GENEROSITY [CONTINUED FROM PAGE 69]
disease,” says Lehnert. “Each day, I feel grateful that I work as part of a team that is passionate about creat- ing and applying new tools that let us unravel features of our nervous system that make it beautiful.” Lehnert says even at a relatively
well-funded institution, scientists at his level of training often feel fi - nancial pressure to leave academia. He says compensation for scientists with a doctorate is about half that of a schoolteacher in Boston, “so the support from MOAA enabled me to continue as a scientist.” Lehnert, whose father is a retired
Marine Corps major general, says his family moved every 18 months on average before he left for college. But what that experience instilled in him stays to this day.
“Being a military dependent can be tough,” says Lehnert. “But the benefi t was that I was always sur- rounded by Marines and their fami-
76 MILITARY OFFICER JANUARY 2017
lies and that we had a clear sense that having a personal set of ethics and being true to them is important.”
Cultural movement As the daughter of a lieutenant colo- nel in the Army, Mikayla Stewart says she has enjoyed growing up around military culture. She says “the lingo, the traveling, the atmo- sphere, and the people” all have shaped who she has become. With a loan from the MOAA Scholarship Fund, Stewart attended Auburn University in Alabama, where she graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in exercise sci- ence and kinesiology. While at Au- burn, she completed multiple studies on body movement, child motor skills, and exercise physiology. Stewart commissioned as a second lieutenant from Auburn University as a medical services offi cer. She is sta- tioned at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., and is the treatment platoon leader for the medical company with
Mikayla Stewart
Auburn University Exercise Science 2015
the 296th Brigade Support Battalion, 1-2 Stryker Brigade Combat Team. “The MOAA educational assistance
gave me the opportunity of education and broad development,” says Stewart. “It allowed me to not only pursue the career of my choice but also the branch of choice. Because of it, I have developed professional relationships with peers and leaders above me.” All four student loan recipients
have paid back their loans and credit the MOAA Scholarship Fund for car- rying on the strong sense of military community with which they grew up. “They say it takes a village to raise a child, and the military community is defi nitely my village,” says Stewart. “I have so many mentors that are still cur- rently serving, so it’s wonderful know- ing that these fi eld grade offi cers really do care about me and [are willing to] help me through any process!”
MO
— Anayat Durrani is a freelance writer based in California. Her last feature ar- ticle for Military Offi cer was “Changing Roles,” January 2014.
PHOTOS: CLOCKWISE FROM TOP RIGHT, CAPT. KELLY MCMANUS, USA; 1ST LT. SARAH ANTIOHO, USA; ANTIOHO; MCMANUS
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