Scholarship Donors & Recipients Meet and are Celebrated Commandant’s 2024 Scholarship Luncheon
As the culmination of the amazing University of North Georgia Alumni Weekend in April 2024, the Commandant of Cadets hosted donors of 21 scholarships with their 28 cadet recipients at his annual scholarship event supported by the Corps Advisory Council.
Donors were honored by meeting and connecting with the recipients of their scholarship. For the cadets, they were not only thrilled to receive their scholarship but also to learn the story behind the scholarship and meet the ones who, through their generosity, made it possible.
This year’s donors were specially invited because they represented some of the most active, most impactful, and in a few cases, newest cadet scholarships, which are a critical and strategic resource to help UNG recruit, retain and graduate our nation’s future leaders.
According to the Director of Development for the Corps of Cadets, LTC (Ret) James Corbin, “We simply could not do this without these special people. Saying thank you seems so insignificant. Joining donor and recipient together is one of the most meaningful things we can do to share our appreciation.”
During the program, U.S. Army Second Lieutenant Zoe Kinzie, alumnae of the Class of 2024 and former Bravo Company commander, and Cadet Command Sergeant Major Jaelyn Baker, the 2023-2024 Brigade Command Sergeant Major and a rising senior, shared what it meant to receive scholarship support. They expressed how their scholarships met specific needs and helped them stay in school and continue their college education.
As the 1LT Weston Cecil Lee Memorial Scholarship was presented, Mrs. Aldene Lee, Weston’s mom, provided an inspiring message that gave deeper meaning to the day’s purpose. Weston, a proud 2014 graduate of UNG, was killed while on patrol in Mosul, Iraq, in 2017. This scholarship was established by family and friends who met and knew him during his time at UNG. Aldene Lee, accompanied by her other son Chester, shared how much Weston loved attending the University of North Georgia and cherished the many friends he made. He often told her that he felt extremely prepared for active duty in the Army from his training as a cadet. The leadership skills and values he learned allowed him to be confident and ready for Army leadership. Mrs. Lee was saddened that Weston could not finish the job he loved, nor fulfill the passion he had to serve his country as an Army Ranger but felt that this scholarship allowed his important story and his legacy to live on through its recipients.
“To deliver the Corps of the future,” UNG President Mike Shannon remarked, “UNG must attract and retain students looking for a unique academic, leader development experience that will challenge them and will set them above their peers. The University of North Georgia offers exactly this — delivering leaders of character for the Total Army, public or private entities for the good of our nation, and the states and communities they serve. Scholarships, like the ones we have celebrated today, permit young people, like these cadets, to have this opportunity. Your generosity is both vital and very much appreciated.”
Why We Give… This was the message of the donors. They explained that for some it was in memory of those we have lost, others to honor our great university, and for some to honor a special person, but all to provide opportunity for those who seek to learn and grow.
Your Giving Makes a Difference in the lives of the members of the Boar’s Head Brigade and to this outstanding university! Please join in making a difference through scholarships by supporting the UNG Corps of Cadets, our nation’s next generation of leaders of character!
THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH GEORGIA
CORPS ADVISORY COUNCIL