Scholar Stories
They're leading.
Behind every statistic is a name, a family, and a future being written. Meet the Scholars of No Greater Sacrifice — the children of our nation's fallen and severely wounded Service members — turning a parent's service into careers in nursing, engineering, intelligence, government, and public health. Some are still in their first year on campus. Others have graduated, started careers, and come back to lead the next class.
Meet our Scholars.
Accounting
Middle Tennessee State University
Garrhett earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting and a minor in Business Law from Middle Tennessee State University. His experience gained through tax internships with local firms has inspired him to pursue a career as a Certified Public Accountant.
Biology (concentration in Microbiology)
Tennessee Technological University
Deryn Allen graduated from Tennessee Technological University with a Bachelor of Science in Biology with a concentration in Microbiology and was a member of the Tennessee Tech cheerleading team. She most recently graduated from Liberty University with a Master of Public Health degree with a concentration in Global Health.
German
Tennessee Technological University
The NGS scholarship truly lightens the load on our family and we are so appreciative!
Business Administration
University of Alabama
Addison “Addie” Barclay is attending the University of Alabama. She is pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and a minor in Risk Management and Insurance. She aims to become an insurance underwriter, and she recognizes that a business major provides a solid foundation for achieving her goal.
Biological Science and Psychology
Florida State University · Class of 2012
Jaquel was the first college graduate of No Greater Sacrifice. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Biological Science and Psychology from Florida State University in 2012. While attending Florida State University, Jaquel gained an invaluable research experience by participating in a directed independent study in the Florida State University College of Medicine under the direction of principal investigator, Dr. Jacob Vanlandingham, Ph.D. The research within the lab focused on concussions and repeated mild traumatic brain injuries. Her experience in the lab helped to solidify her passion for research.
Early Childhood Education and Special Education
Mercyhurst University · Class of 2016
NGS has had a tremendous impact on my life. Their support throughout college made it possible for me to focus on my education classes.
Nursing
St. John Fisher College · Class of 2020
This scholarship allowed me to attend a four-year college to earn a degree. My goal is to be able to work with people like my father and give them the treatment they deserve.
Management (emphasis in Marketing)
Brigham Young University · Class of 2016
I am so appreciative of your help. It was important to my dad that I got an education.
Physical Education
Southern Connecticut State University · Class of 2016
I will always be extremely grateful for NGS. No amount of thanks can truly express my gratitude. The organization, donors, and volunteers will forever hold a special place in my heart and in my life.
Psychology
University of Southern California
Thank you so much for this opportunity! Seriously, you have opened so many more doors for me.
Geology
Hardin-Simmons University · Class of 2019
Travon Boyd graduated in December 2019 with a Bachelor’s in Geology and minor in Environmental Sciences from Hardin-Simmons University. He plans to work with wastewater treatment plants, recognizing that water is a crucial resource with increasing demand in today’s modern world.
Power Line Construction & Maintenance
Mitchell Technical College
I am extremely grateful for NGS's commitment to my education and being able to come out of college debt-free. It's not just the financial aspect, but also the mentorship and relationship building that make the NGS scholarship.
When four Scholars come from one family.
No Greater Sacrifice supports whole families, not just individual students — when one family carries the cost of service, NGS helps an entire generation reach college. The Walding family is proof. Retired Army Sergeant First Class John Wayne Walding and his wife Amy have four children, and all four are NGS Scholars: Emma is studying graphic design at the University of Arkansas, Sam is studying strategic communication at Northern Arizona University, and Andie and Hannah will use their scholarships when they reach college age. In March 2026, John Wayne Walding shared the family's story on Fox News, putting a face on a mission that reaches across whole households.
The Waldings are not alone. The Prescott family counts four NGS Scholars of its own. One family's sacrifice, in the hands of this community, becomes a whole generation's opportunity — siblings following one another to campuses across the country, debt-free and supported every step of the way.
One Scholar's full circle: Boston Gilbert.
Boston Gilbert was an NGS Scholar before he was an NGS leader. After his father, Major Troy Gilbert, was killed in action in Iraq in 2006, Boston received No Greater Sacrifice scholarship support to attend Southern Methodist University in Dallas — where he earned a B.S. in Applied Physiology and Sport Management and played on the men's soccer team — then went on to complete a Master's in Leadership at Dallas Baptist University.
In 2022 he came back. Today Boston serves as Associate Director of No Greater Sacrifice, helping run the program that once carried him and standing alongside the next generation of Scholars at BootCamp and beyond. His path is the clearest answer to what an NGS scholarship makes possible: not just a degree, but a leader who returns to lift the families who gave so much.
Paying it forward.
An NGS scholarship is not where the story ends — it is where a career begins. Alumni are thriving across law enforcement, medicine, aviation, social work, government, and the arts, carrying the support they received into work that serves others. In the 2024–2025 academic year alone, 41 NGS Scholars earned their degrees and stepped into careers of their own choosing.
Many come back. At BootCamp, NGS Alumni return to sit on panels and coach the next class of Scholars through the same crossroads they once faced — sharing practical advice on thriving in college and beyond. It is proof that the investment compounds, one graduate at a time, into a community that keeps giving back to the families who gave so much.
The stories add up to a record of completion — Scholars who start, persist, and graduate into careers of their own choosing.
Ready to begin
Start with one email.
To apply, a family requests an Eligibility Application — the first step in our annual selection process — by emailing info@nogreatersacrifice.org or calling 202.756.1980. A real person will help you understand whether your child qualifies and what comes next.
The proof behind the stories
See the numbers.
Every story here is one of $30M+ committed to debt-free education since 2008 — with 95 cents of every dollar going directly to the mission. See how the impact adds up across 571 Scholars and counting.
Questions & answers
Frequently asked questions
Help write the next chapter.
Every Scholar, every degree, every number you've seen began with someone who chose to give. Your gift writes the next one — debt-free education for the children of our nation's fallen and severely wounded Service members.