'The American Dream': Congressman Barr touts amendment to veterans STEM scholarship

Jan. 23--Congressman Andy Barr visited Eastern Kentucky University Wednesday to speak about the success of his amendment, House Resolution 2196, to the Edith Nourse Rogers STEM Scholarship program in the Forever GI Bill.

Barr's bill, which was signed into law on July 31, amends the number of credit hours the Edith Nourse Rogers STEM Scholarship program requires for veterans to become eligible for the scholarship. The requirement was 128 credit hours but was amended to 120 hours.

In Barr's speech, he said that he has seen first-hand the need for Congress to make ensuring veterans have all the tools they need to set themselves up for a career after military service a priority. He explained that transitioning to civilian life can be difficult, and "we owe it to the heroes to make it a smooth transition that honors their service."

"When we think about service, when we think about commitment to community, when we think about sacrifice, we can't help but think about those who have served in uniform," Interim President of Eastern Kentucky University David McFaddin said.

The Edith Nourse Rogers STEM Scholarship program, which is named after congresswoman Edith Rogers who served 18 consecutive terms in Congress and was an advocate for veterans, tries to do just that. The bill, as described in layman's terms by Barr, makes science, technology, engineering and math scholarships available for veterans who have exhausted their GI Bill. He said that it adds an additional nine months of free education for student veterans pursuing a degree in that field.

James Birdsong, who served in the U.S. Army from 2002 to 2006 as a part of Operation Iraqi Freedom and then served in the National Guard until 2009, knows very well how helpful the bill can be. Birdsong will be graduating from EKU in December, thanks to the bill, with a bachelor's degree for occupational safety and health.

Birdsong admits that he thought he would never be here. He explained that in high school, he graduated at the bottom of his class, not because of his intellect, but because he just didn't care about school. Once he got out of the Army, Birdsong said his friends told him to go back to school, but instead he chose to take a career job at a paper mill.

Eight years later, the paper mill closed down, and with his family and bills to pay, Birdsong didn't know what he was going to do. So he enrolled in school and chose a path he was passionate about -- safety. However, everything was not smooth sailing.

Birdsong struggled due to multiple different reasons. One was that not all of his credits from his community college transferred to EKU. He also fell behind in classes due to bouts of anxiety and depression. He had exhausted his GI Bill scholarship and did not know if he would be able to afford to continue.

Luckily Birdsong's VA advisor reached out to him concerning the Rogers STEM Scholarship, and he decided to apply. He said the scholarship has allowed him to finish his education and graduate.

"EKU is a school of opportunity. A place where people come to chase their passion. That is the American dream," McFaddin said.

Birdsong is one of five EKU student veterans that are recipients of the Rogers STEM Scholarship. Barbara Kent, director of military and veteran affairs, said EKU 's number of five recipients is the highest number of any university in the commonwealth. She went on to say that the impact of the scholarship is not only for the individual, but also for the society at large.

"These students are able to achieve their academic goals and then serve other veterans and their communities," Kent said. Barr called this a win-win situation since there is such a high demand for jobs in STEM fields, and often times, the veterans come from a background where they already have some skills in their area of study.

Birdsong encouraged other veterans to apply for the Rogers STEM Scholarship and continue their education.

"All you need to do is ask," Birdsong said.

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