2016 Tillman Scholar
Mike graduated high school early so he could enlist in the Army at the age of 17. His passion for lifelong learning has motivated him to learn specialized and advanced skills that have helped him contribute to the military organizations he was assigned to while fueling his desire to obtain a higher education. Having been fortunate to experience many cultures and to witness first hand how people handle adverse situations, Mike learned that the one common characteristic among our military partners is resilience. A characteristic that can be applied across a broad spectrum of industry, resilience is something Mike will bring into his Master’s program and the career field of Education.
Since retiring after 30 years of service in the military, Mike has been working with students in the Fountain-Fort Carson School District in Colorado. He intends to become a high school social studies teacher and would like to continue working with children from military families as a full-time teacher helping them achieve their educational goals. Having led organizations from 12 to over 1,000 in both peacetime and combat, as a high school teacher Mike’s leadership experience will be put to work in the classroom and with his fellow faculty members while keeping him engaged with his military family community.