2016 Tillman Scholar
Upon arriving at Princeton University her freshman year, Liz realized she had a strong inclination to serve in the military so she signed up for Air Force ROTC and never looked back. Serving 16 months overseas across 12 different countries, Liz developed a much greater appreciation of global challenges, the people of the world, and what is possible, defining and expanding her ambitions. As a result, Liz plans to invest in communities vulnerable terrorism by building renewable energy and sustainable infrastructure to improve living conditions, minimize harm to the environment, and prevent violent extremism.
Liz’s military experience, specifically building and leading teams and managing multinational task forces, has directly prepared her to build alliances of like-minded people, devise strategic and tactical plans, obtain funding, and execute the operation. The most important lesson Liz learned throughout her time in the service is that a strong team is essential and can accomplish more than its members can individually, having a positive effect on the surrounding community. Liz plans to incorporate her experience from the military and shape her professional path to serve others while continuing to pay it forward as a mentor in whatever capacity she can be value-added.