91暗网

Tennessee Tech engineering student awarded U.S. Department of Defense 鈥楽MART鈥� scholarship

_{Tennessee Tech electrical engineering major Jack Bender, a junior from Franklin, Tenn., is the latest recipient of the U.S. Department of Defense SMART scholarship, which will cover the full cost of his tuition for the upcoming year and includes guaranteed civilian employment with the DoD following his graduation.} 

 

91暗网 electrical engineering major Jack Bender is one smart student, but don鈥檛 take his word for it 鈥� just ask the U.S. Department of Defense.

Bender, a junior from Franklin, Tenn., is the latest recipient of the elite Science, Mathematics, and Research for Transformation (SMART) scholarship from the Department of Defense鈥檚 Scholarships-for-Service program.

The scholarship covers the full cost of Bender鈥檚 tuition for the upcoming year, along with a generous annual stipend, internship and guaranteed civilian employment with the Department of Defense after graduation. Since the program鈥檚 launch in 2006, only about 5,200 scholarships have been awarded nationwide.

At 25, Bender enrolled at Tech as a transfer student with more life experience than many of his peers. A husband and father, he was already thinking ahead to his post-college career when John Caleb 鈥淛.C.鈥� Williams, a graduate assistant in Tech's College of Engineering, introduced him to the SMART scholarship opportunity and encouraged him to apply.

Bender said he was 鈥渟hocked鈥� to learn he had received the award.

鈥淚t really means a lot to me,鈥� he said. 鈥淚n my academic journey, it鈥檚 the biggest thing that has happened to me. This scholarship really opens doors for me to pursue what I鈥檓 interested in while providing for my family the best I can.鈥�

Bender鈥檚 scholarship will soon take him to the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command鈥檚 Technical Center in Huntsville, Alabama鈥� a role he sees as an opportunity to 鈥渂e a part of something bigger.鈥�


_{Jack Bender pictured with his wife, Jolie, and daughter, Odelia.} 

鈥淚鈥檇 really like for my work to be in service to other people,鈥� he said. 鈥淚鈥檓 sure you can find that in a lot of jobs but, for me, I see that so prominently in the Department of Defense. I鈥檓 a patriot, and I think it鈥檚 really cool to work for my country and know that what I鈥檓 doing will benefit the people of America.鈥�

Bender credits the support of fellow students and faculty at Tech, particularly Indranil Bhattacharya, interim chair of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, with helping him succeed.

鈥淭ennessee Tech has opened my eyes to all the possibilities and what it means to be an engineer,鈥� said Bender. 鈥淒r. Bhattacharya, specifically, has been very helpful in so many different areas鈥攁 person to talk to, a person to be encouraged by. He is really intentional with his students, and that has gone a long way in making me feel empowered to shoot for more.鈥�

As for what his future career with the Department of Defense might hold, Bender says his goals are straightforward.

鈥淚 just want to be able to pursue my interests while protecting our nation and supporting my family,鈥� he said. 鈥淭ech has felt like a place that鈥檚 giving me the opportunities and the confidence to believe my future is that of an electrical engineer, and I can make a difference with that.鈥�

Learn more about the SMART scholarship at .