Published: 12/5/2022 6:41:01 PM
Modified: 12/5/2022 6:40:39 PM
Two New Hampshire students have received money from the state Department of Education college scholarship that aims to help orphans of veterans offset the cost of college for items such as books and supplies.
This month, the Department issued two scholarships – worth $2,500 each – to two college students whose parents passed away due to reasons related to military service.
One recipient is Evan Milton, a UNH freshman studying health sciences. Evan’s father, James Milton, was an airman in the U.S. Air Force who died due to a service-related illness in 2014.
“This scholarship will really help with covering some fees and getting me through the next few years of school,” Evan Milton said. “It means a lot that my father’s service will have a direct, positive impact on me years after he passed away.”
The other recipient, Kathryn Routhier of Somersworth, is a University of New Hampshire senior where she majors in justice studies with a minor in forensic science. Routhier’s mother, Ronda Routhier, was an Army Veteran of the Global War on Terrorism and died due to a service-related illness in 2018.
“This extra money helps me feel a bit more secure in my ability to attend college, and I am very grateful,” Kathryn Routhier said.
The scholarships are part of New Hampshire’s Orphans of Veterans Program, which was established by the state legislature in 1943 to give college scholarships to children of soldiers who died in World War II. Over the years the program has been updated to encompass other wars, including conflicts during the Gulf War. In 1981, the law was updated to allow orphaned children of veterans to also obtain free tuition to the University System of New Hampshire and the Community College System of New Hampshire.
The Orphans of Veterans program issues four $2,500 grants every year.
“We are pleased to recognize and assist these two students, as their parents gave the ultimate sacrifice,” said education commissioner Frank Edelblut. “It is our hope that they will both achieve their educational and career goals and that these scholarships will provide a small amount of financial assistance and support.”