2026 From Service to Scholar Scholarship Awardees
From Service to Scholar Scholarship
The AOC Foundation provides supplemental scholarships to students attending a college/university under the current GI Bill/VA Program. Five $2,000 scholarships will be awarded each year to five students studying in the fields of engineering or engineering technology and interested in working in aerospace and defense. Applicants must be receiving, or eligible to receive, education benefits under the current GI Bill. We are grateful for the generosity of Rohde and Schwarz USA, Inc. for funding these scholarships.
Please join us in celebrating this year’s scholarship awardees!
From Service to Scholar Scholarship Awardees
Alec August
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
August is pursuing a master's in systems engineering at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. He served 10 years as a United States Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Technician. He recently earned his FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot certificate and holds a Project Management Professional certification. His areas of focus include uncrewed aircraft systems, command and control, sensing, navigation, autonomy, and resilient communications, particularly performance in contested or degraded electromagnetic environments.
Elizabeth Cunniff
Wright State University
Cunniff is a student at Wright State University pursuing a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering. She previously earned a bachelor's in aerospace engineering from Ohio State University. Her background includes military experience maintaining aircraft electrical systems, followed by her current role as an electronic warfare analyst, where she works on threat analysis and electromagnetic spectrum operations. Her studies bridge aerospace systems knowledge with electrical engineering areas including signal processing, communications, embedded systems, and avionics.
Stanley Gelin
Georgia Institute
Gelin is an electrical engineering major at Georgia Institute of Technology. He served four years on active duty in the United States Marine Corps, including a deployment to Bahrain, where he worked as an Aviation Supply Specialist supporting F-18 and F-35 readiness, and later as a Financial Clerk managing travel budgeting through the Defense Travel System. After leaving active duty in 2021, he became a National Operations Manager overseeing a 30-person team across two shifts before returning to school to pursue engineering.