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Proven Leaders: Eight Bulldogs receive G.V. ‘Sonny’ Montgomery Foundation scholarships

Contact: Carl Smith

STARKVILLE, Miss.—The G.V. “Sonny” Montgomery Foundation is honoring eight Bulldogs for their proven leadership skills and academic successes.

Each year, the foundation provides eight $3,000 scholarships to the Mississippi ´ķĪķAPP Air Force and Army ROTC programs, Center for America’s Veterans and Student Leadership and Community Engagement department.

Recipients are chosen by each university organization through a competitive selection process. Leadership scholarships are awarded to those who have demonstrated excellent leadership skills within their curricular and non-curricular programs, while academic scholarship winners are selected based on academic excellence and prowess.

This year’s recipients and their majors include:

—Air Force ROTC: Sean Simoncic, senior, mechanical engineering, Lakeland, Tennessee; and Noah Gregory, senior, computer engineering, Brandon

—Army ROTC: Wyatt Howell, senior, industrial engineering, Athens, Alabama; and Leroy Sykes, senior, psychology, West Memphis, Arkansas

—Center for America’s Veterans: Erik Escobedo, senior, communication, Grenada; and Emily Mackey, graduate, veterinary medicine, Brookhaven

—SLCE: Malena Heck, senior, animal and dairy science/pre-veterinary, Mulvane, Kansas (academic); and Arieyanna Glover, senior, business administration, Greenwood (leadership)

“Speaking on behalf of all the programs who benefit from this very generous gift, we are grateful to not only be able to award these deserving students a scholarship but to do it in a way that recognizes and celebrates the legacy and reputation of the honorable G.V. ‘Sonny’ Montgomery,” said Center for America’s Veterans Executive Director Andrew Rendon. “As a statesman and veteran, he represented the values and characteristics that we expect our students to emulate and model.”

The Montgomery Foundation’s mission is to honor the late statesman, perpetuate his important legacy, encourage leadership and support educational activities relating to citizenship, military service and veterans’ affairs. For more information, visit .

MSU’s Center for America’s Veterans is a national leader in providing comprehensive support to members of the U.S. armed services, and the university was recently named a top-five Military Friendly School by GI Jobs. In support of the MSU Division of Student Affairs, the center engages military-connected students through educational benefits, transitional support and activities to promote learning, well-being and success. Visit  to learn more.

Also housed within the Division of Student Affairs, the Student Leadership and Community Engagement department strives to be the Southeastern Conference’s foremost expert in leadership and service. It is available online at .

The nationally awarded MSU Air Force ROTC program—Detachment 425—has commissioned hundreds of officers since its designation in 1952, while the university’s Army ROTC program—The Bulldog Battalion—is one of the oldest and most prestigious in the U.S. To learn more about the groups, visit and .

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