Committed to Being the Best	FALL- WINTER 2002

Thank You Letter from a Scholarship Recipient

Dear Transportation Association of Milwaukee, During the summer of 1998, I started my first year at the United States Military Academy at West Point. Throughout my first summer, I learned everything from how to wear a uniform, to working together with my squad members to make it through Cadet Basic Training. It was four very challenging years at the Academy. However, my experience has prepared me for the rest of my life. During the academic year, my time was solely devoted to my academic studies. I majored in Human/Regional Geography with a minor in Environmental Engineering. In the summer, I had the opportunity to attend a Geology Field Course in Colorado before my junior year. I traveled to Germany during the summer of 2001 to shadow a military unit and take part in their daily schedule. I also found time to work on my leadership skills as I trained freshmen during their Basic Training exercises. On June 1, 2002, I graduated from West Point with a Bachelors of Science degree. I was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Army, and am currently on active duty. In January 2003, I will attend the Military Intelligence Officer Basic Course in Arizona for five months. While at this course, I will learn the basics of military intelligence and prepare to be a platoon leader. Then, in June 2003, I will take a one year assignment in South Korea where I will be in charge of thirty to forty soldiers. While my tuition and living expenses were paid by the Academy, I was still responsible for purchasing additional uniforms and my class textbooks. The annual scholarship I received from the Transportation Association helped me to pay for these items. Thus, I was able to save my small salary for other daily and future expenses. I look forward to serving my country for the next five years. I plan to take advantage of my time in the military to see the world and meet people from all over our great country! Thank you again for your generosity. Best wishes. Respectfully, Katherine Konkel 2LT, US Army