Allyson Kelso

Thank you for awarding me these scholarships. I am very thankful to have received a WOASF scholarship and a VAW/VRC Merit scholarship. As someone who has always been committed to excelling in academics and extracurricular activities, I am delighted that my achievements have been recognized through scholarships. Since I will be attending college out-of-state, having these scholarships cover my tuition costs helps me financially as I’ll be incurring higher costs than most for traveling home on breaks. This scholarship means a lot to me because it significantly helps me to further my education to help me achieve my goal of becoming a Music Therapist. When I become a Music Therapist, I want to work with teens and young adults who are experiencing mental health challenges. As a military child who has attended many schools, I often turned to music to help me handle the mental strain associated with these school transitions. Joining a choir at church or taking a Chorus class at school were paramount to making new friends through our shared interests. I am proud of my father’s service in the U.S. Navy and I feel I have represented his service honorably as a military child by planting roots and being successful in new places throughout my childhood. I am thankful to the donors who make these scholarships sustainable for dependents like me and I will strive to make them proud as I begin my college studies at Florida State University.