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Meghan Douglas will use her Pillars of Strength Scholarship from University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC) to finish her bachelor’s degree. With the scholarship, she also will redirect her career path in a dramatically different direction than she had planned before her husband suffered a debilitating injury in 2018 while serving in the U.S. Navy.

Douglas had intended to go into the pharmacy field, and she completed an associate degree with that in mind. But during the years that followed, she put her education on hold as she cared for her husband, Benjamin, and their four children. Thanks to the treatment Benjamin received through Walter Reed Military Medical Center’s National Center of Intrepid Excellence (NICoE), the family has the strategies to address his traumatic brain injury.

Douglas now will use her scholarship to complete an undergraduate degree in cybersecurity management and policy. She is following the lead of her husband, who also earned a bachelor’s in cybersecurity from ��������while Douglas supported him.��

“That may sound like it’s way, way off from pharmacy,” she said. “But if you apply it to the health care system, it does apply because you are talking about keeping personal records secure.”

As she looks forward to a new career, she envisions working with Veterans Affairs (VA) to help the families of wounded warriors.

“There have been people along the way who helped us tremendously,” she said. “This would be a great way to give back to help spouses navigate the complicated VA system, which can be overwhelming.”

With only one more course to complete her undergraduate degree, Douglas is heading toward graduation in December. For her, the scholarship carries a crucial message about the spouses who often get lost in the shuffle of veterans’ needs. She said Pillars of Strength spotlights how she and this year’s other recipients step forward when their support and advocacy are most needed.��

Too many wounded vets, especially those with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injury, walk away from the military without getting the help they need, Douglas said. That results in years of suffering for them and their families.��

“Along our retirement journey, many individuals in the VA and with the Wounded Warrior Project helped us and encouraged me to advocate for Ben’s needs and our family,” Douglas said. “It’s a difficult path and unless you advocate for them, no one else will do it for you and your family.”

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