UIW Recognizes Our Nation’s Heroes during Annual Military Appreciation Game
PHOTO CAPTION: UIW Fall ROTC Scholarship winners/ (L-R) CDT Lianna Ubungen, CDT Isabelle Lutrick, CDT Saleen Burkett, CDT Galilea Gomez Garcia, CDT McKenzy John, CDT Emily Russell, CDT Nicholas Holcomb, CDT Ryan May and CDT Marques Gayot
Halftime Ceremony Highlighted by $1 Million Scholarship Pledge
San Antonio – October 24, 2024 – The University of the Incarnate Word (UIW) celebrated the past, present and future members of our nation’s military during its annual Military Appreciation Game on Saturday, October 19, 2024. UIW honored military members from the Army, Air Force, Navy, Marines and Space Force. And this year’s group of UIW Fall Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) Scholarship winners received a pledge of $1 million worth of scholarships from the U.S. Department of Defense.
PHOTO (L-R): Major General William Green and Cadet Amy Bonilla
Special guests honoring our heroes included Major General William Green, U.S. Army Chief of Chaplains and Lieutenant Colonel James Nance, St. Mary’s University ROTC Professor of Military Science. Our guests took part in various activities during the game including providing the official coin toss for the game, presiding over the halftime enlistment ceremony, and honoring our UIW Fall ROTC Scholarship winners.
“What an amazing event last weekend, the San Antonio community really turned out as UIW’s Army ROTC Cadets were recognized at our Military Appreciation football game,” says Jonathan Lovejoy, senior director for UIW Military and Veterans Affairs. “It was such an honor to have Major General Green and Lieutenant Colonel Nance on hand for all the festivities. And it always a special moment when the enlistees take their oath during the enlistment ceremony. Congratulations to our UIW Army ROTC cadets for being recognized for their commitment to UIW and our Country.”
The activities were highlighted by dozens of future members of our military taking part in a moving halftime enlistment ceremony presided over by MG Green. Green also had the opportunity to meet with Rattler Battalion Cadet Amy Bonilla. Cadet Bonilla earned the ROTC Education Delay to obtain her Masters of Divinity in Theology and Ministry in pursuit of becoming an Army Chaplain.
PHOTO CAPTION: Dozens of future members of the U.S. Military take the field for an Enlistment Ceremony during the UIW Military Appreciation Game
UIW would also like to congratulate this year’s ROTC Scholarship winners which include Cadet Nicolas Holcomb, Cadet Lianna Ubungen, Cadet Marques Gayot, Cadet Ryan May, Cadet McKenzy John, Cadet Saleen Burkett, Cadet Galilea Gomez Garcia, Cadet Isabelle Lutrick and Cadet Emily Russell. This group was awarded $1 million in scholarships by the U.S. Department of Defense to attend UIW. The scholarship provides full college tuition and fees, an allowance for textbooks and school supplies, and a monthly educational stipend.
The ROTC is proud to say that they complement those scholarship funds with instruction in leadership development, goal setting, military science, strategy and problem solving. All of these scholarship winners and new enlistees are well on their way to serving our Nation as proud members of the military and UIW is proud to always welcome and honor them during our annual Military Appreciation Game.
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MEDIA CONTACT: Michael Valdes, Media and Public Relations Manager, Office of Communications & Brand Marketing, (210) 829-6001, (210) 422-4052 or michael.valdes@uiwtx.edu
About UIW
With over 140 years of tradition, the University of the Incarnate Word is committed to educational excellence in a context of faith in Jesus Christ, the Incarnate Word of God. UIW programs constitute a liberal education that fosters a well-grounded intellectual resilience, a disposition toward lifelong learning, and an acceptance of responsibility for the ethical consequences of our ideas and actions. Founded in 1881, UIW is the largest Catholic university in the state and the fourth largest private university in Texas. UIW students can choose from degrees offered at the undergraduate, graduate and doctoral levels. The University is committed to graduating students with the lowest amount of debt load possible and to help them secure a career that lifts their lives, their families and their communities. With a beautiful main campus in the heart of San Antonio, in 2019, UIW purchased a 10-acre landmark property at 4119 Broadway which increased the footprint of the UIW Broadway Campus by 20%. The building is now known as Founders Hall. UIW has locations throughout San Antonio, two campuses in Mexico and a European Study Center in Strasbourg, France. UIW is a leader in international education, with over 146 “sister schools” in 45 countries and it is a proud Hispanic Serving Institution. The University is a member of the NCAA Division I Southland Conference and is proud to have 25 teams representing 14 different sports. UIW is a sponsored ministry of the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word.