Tillman Foundation
So Heather enrolled at Alliant International University in San Diego to pursue her doctorate in education, taking classes through a combination of online and in-person sessions.
She has three more classes to complete before she starts her dissertation, which she anticipates focusing on autism and access to postsecondary educational/vocational transition programs. “I’d like to understand the hardship military families face during this transition and what their specific needs are for their young adult with autism,” Heather says. This past year, the university asked her to be an adjunct professor.
Heather discovered the Pat Tillman Foundation while researching funding resources. “I thought I’d apply just as a scholarship and nothing else would be attached … totally not that,” she remembers.
Heather went through three rounds of interviews before being accepted as a scholarship recipient. She flew to Chicago to meet the other Tillman Scholars and was blown away to be part of such a group. “It gives me a lot of hope and motivation,” she shares.
“I really liked Pat Tillman’s character and what he stood for,” she says. “He wanted to do something bigger than himself. In fact, that’s their motto: Do something beyond you. Reach out. Affect more people.”
A marathon is, unarguably, something bigger than oneself. “The Tillman Foundation can get you into the NYC marathon and I had mentioned I was interested in being a team captain and raising money,” she says. “It was my way to give back to them.” Heather, who had qualified for and competed in the 2011 Boston Marathon, captained the team last November, and is slated to be the team captain for the Chicago marathon this October. “Running is my therapy. It keeps me going.”
