To our Bass Military Scholars Program Family,
This is our first attempt at an Alumni Newsletter, and we would very much welcome feedback so we can adjust to sharing what you are interested in hearing about, so please reach out and let us know.
These are very exciting times for the program. We continue to grow, now having 34 active scholars and a total of 13 alumni of the program. While we remain Army and Owen “heavy” we are working hard to ensure that veterans of the other services are aware of the program, and we would appreciate the help of our alumni in connecting to that population.
In addition to having more scholars, we are very much back to face-to-face events, both social and service activity focused, which feels great! We have highlighted one of the larger events in the letter, but there are so many other great efforts taking place, whether working with ROTC, athletics, local non-profits, student organizations, or in the classroom; the impacts being created are reaching more and more of the Vanderbilt community in a very positive way.
While there is so much positivity happening across the program, I am sad to share that Alba Cook will be leaving us this fall. Alba’s husband, Rus, is being reassigned to Fort Hood, TX. This should not come as a surprise to any of us, as we all understand that it is part of the life for a military family. And while I am personally sad to be losing “my Sergeant Major,” I’m incredibly thankful for all Alba has done to help get the program to where it is right now and help set
us on a path of success for the future. Please be sure to reach out to Alba and offer your own appreciation for all she has done and wish her well on her next adventure.
As we are offering our alumni an update on what is happening here at Vanderbilt, we would love to hear about what is going on in your lives, so please reach out and let us know how things are going. We are very interested to learn about your new adventures and eager to keep you connected to the current and future members of this program.
We hope to see you all in the near future and will keep you abreast of social events as they are planned. Until then, all the best and Anchor Down!
v/r
Scott