PTF Top 10: The Many Accomplishments of Our Scholars

Our remarkable Tillman Scholar community now numbers more than 800 individuals strong; more than 800 military veterans and spouses eager and equipped to make their impact in the world. Each of our scholars believe that their best years of service are still ahead of them, but that does not mean they had any shortage of accomplishments this year.

Scholars like: 

• Safi Rauf After being released from imprisonment by the Taliban in April, Safi founded the Human First Coalition, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing humanitarian aid in Afghanistan
• Phillip Jones, who won his mayoral race in Newport News, Virginia, becoming the city’s youngest Black mayor
• Jennifer Esparza, who took on a new role as the White House liaison for the Department of Veteran Affairs
• Kim Shaughnessy-Granger, who became the executive officer at the Naval Health Clinic Quantico
• Jamal Sowell, who stepped down as the State of Florida’s Secretary of Commerce this year and took new roles on the board of directors for Team RWB and now leads the business solutions practice at Indelible
• Mark Ebeling, an ICU nurse by trade who earned and MBA and now serves as the director of Critical Care and ECMO at the University of Minnesota Medical Center
• …and so many more

This year, our scholar community led the way in research, education, civil rights and much more, publishing studies and other research, taking on new roles, giving talks and presentations, and appearing at conferences. 

Humble leadership is a defining quality of our Tillman Scholar community. Very often, you won’t hear them talk about their accomplishments and the impact that they make every day. 

But we are extremely proud of each and every one of our scholars and are grateful to be a part of their journey. We cannot wait to see what you all have in store next year.

For more scholar stories and accomplishments, check out blog.ptf.org.