Military-connected women gather to begin Focus Forward Fellowship

The Military Family Research Institute at Purdue University (MFRI) is proud to announce the arrival of the 2018 Focus Forward Fellowship cohort to West Lafayette. The Fellowship is an MFRI program designed to build skills, leadership and a sense of community among women student veterans.

Fellows are competitively selected from across the country and attend this program on scholarship. This year, MFRI received a record number of 250 eligibility forms. After a very competitive selection process, 20 women were selected from 18 different colleges and universities, representing all five branches of service, and diverse areas of academic study.

MFRI Director and Purdue Professor Shelley MacDermid Wadsworth is eager to welcome the 2018 cohort to Purdue’s campus.

“It is with much joy and excitement that we assist these women as they grow in their personal and professional development,” she said. “Women student veterans hold many roles throughout their lives, as they juggle family, school and career responsibilities. The Fellowship will help prepare them for their future roles.”

At Purdue, women will build a community of support as they go through the residential portion of the Fellowship. They will meet with mentors from major corporations, learn about their own strengths and how to maximize them, and identify strategies and resources to increase connections and successes on their own home campuses. In addition, they will gain confidence in their ability to problem solve and develop skills to help foster academic and career success. After returning home, they will participate in an online community throughout the upcoming academic year.

“This Fellowship is a great opportunity to lean-in and share information about transitioning from service member to veteran,” said mentor Betty Moseley Brown, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and the 19th president of the Women Marines Association. “It is great to meet women veterans and collaborate on life’s journey with my sisters.”

To learn more or find out ways you can support the Focus Forward Fellowship, contact Linda Hughes-Kirchubel, MFRI director of external relations, at lhughesk@purdue.edu or 765-494-2962 and follow the social media conversation at #FWDFellows.