‘She wants to lead’
The Office of State Sen. Nathan Johnson has appointed University of Texas at Arlington student Destiny Moragne, a freshman in the school of Social Work, as this year’s recipient of the Texas Armed Services Scholarship.
Each year Texas elected officials may appoint one student to receive an initial conditional scholarship award as part of the Texas Armed Services Scholarship Program. Scholarship recipients agree to complete four years of ROTC training and serve in the Army National Guard, Texas Air National Guard, Texas State Guard, United States Coast Guard, United States Merchant Marine, or any branch of the U.S. armed services.
“Our office sifted through multiple applications, and after reviewing Destiny’s resume, her volunteer history and her want to lead, we thought she would be the best recipient for this scholarship,” said Rose Rayo, constituent services specialist for Sen. Johnson. “We are very proud of Destiny and all that she is going to do with her future.”
“Having a good military and social work program was really big for me,” Moragne said. “I noticed that UTA poured heavily into these two programs, and it’s how I knew I wanted to attend here.”
Moragne decided to join the Army ROTC program because she wanted to be a part of the military. She plans to become an officer and social worker in the U.S. Army.
“I always knew I wanted to help people, and I felt I had a calling to service,” she said. “Becoming a social worker for the Army will let me help the soldiers suffering from PTSD and other mental health illnesses.”
UTA is a top-ranked institution for military veterans and military-connected students. Moragne is one of nearly 5,000 on campus.
“To be recognized by the Military Times or G.I. Jobs as a top military-friendly institution goes a long way in not only showing that our students are of high caliber, but that the services UTA provides to them are incredibly high caliber as well,” said James Kumm, executive director of Military and Veteran Services. “We are always very proud of our students when they get state recognition because it shows the caliber of students we have at UTA. It’s always very exciting to see them expanding upon everything they’ve learned and giving back to something greater than themselves. It’s something the military is passionate about teaching and is expected of service members.”