The Military Constantly Moved My Family from Place to Place So I Created Community, Family, and a Home Away from Home at School
I’m a proud military brat.
Born in Kansas.
Took first steps in Pennsylvania.
Learned to ride a bike in Hawaii.
Started middle school in Georgia, finished in Texas.
I’ve experienced my childhood through smiling faces and moving boxes, the excitement of never knowing what would happen next. I have unending love and gratitude for the way I was raised, it has made me the person I am today.
However, somewhere along the way, my desire for the comfort of stability overrode my drive for excitement.
For many army brats this reality comes when moving out of the nest, usually when they leave for college. For me, my stability happened much earlier, when I least expected it.
At age 14, I was facing another set of Army orders and another military move. Right before high school. But then, an unexpected opportunity arose from conversations with friends and Facebook posts. My family found out about a unique organization, Orion Military Scholarships.
Out of the blue, I was presented with a chance to go to my dream high school, a boarding school, where I could stay put for four years no matter where my parents were stationed.
Through a partnership with prestigious boarding schools across the US, Orion provides military teens with the opportunity to stop moving and have a consistent educational experience. More importantly, Orion enables teens to stabilize and focus on thriving and growing as a student and as a person in one place for their entire high school careers.
After being selected as an Orion Military Scholar, I enrolled at St. Andrews School in Delaware. This amazing school has provided me with countless mentors, lifelong friends, and some of the best programs I’ve ever participated in. I am able to grow as a person, finding myself in what I love…sports, arts, classes, and hobbies. I’ve also watched my older brother (also an Orion Military Scholar) find his place and grow immeasurably in all aspects of himself.
As a military teenager, I see my future ahead of me and am able to shape it, without the doubt of leaving before finishing. My life is changed forever, by this school, these people, but most importantly, by Orion.
After so many houses, I’ve found a home.
Vivian Snow is a military child and recipient of the Orion Military Scholarship Fund. In recognition of the sacrifices of our nation's military, the Orion Military Scholarship Fund is dedicated to promoting uninterrupted educational opportunities for eligible children of active component U.S. military families.
