Every year, Student Veterans of America and LMI select only five student veterans to receive the LMI Student Veterans Scholarship. This year, TU graduate student T.J. Mobra is among the recipients.
Joining the army in 2003, Mobra was deployed to combat three times with two tours in Iraq and one in Afghanistan. “I joined the army to better myself, and I knew the army would allow me to do that,” Mobra said. His bravery earned him the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart and the Army Commendation Medal with Valor.
After the military, Mobra earned his bachelor and master’s degree in Environmental Health and Safety Management at Northeastern State University. Feeling called to teach, Mobra enrolled in the TU Master of Science in Math and Science Education. “I want to teach mainly at the college level, but I did not have much experience with lesson plans,” he explained. In between classes, he assisted Richard Shaughnessy, a research associate at the TU Indoor Air Program, and “That’s when I knew The University of Tulsa is where I wanted to be,” Mobra said. As Mobra hones his teaching skills in his master’s program, he is already planning on getting his doctorate at TU.
The LMI Student Veterans Scholarship came at the perfect time. Mobra was concerned about securing funds for his graduate degree. “When I was told I was one of five to receive a $10,000 scholarship from the SVA and LMI, my jaw hit the floor in disbelief and excitement,” Mobra said.