Tuesday’s Children has unveiled the winners of its first-ever scholarship program, a trade school award that supports families affected by 9/11 and later military conflicts. This new scholarship strengthens youth empowerment, education, and long-term community support.
Tuesday’s Children Scholarship Winners And First-Ever Program
The new Tuesday’s Children scholarship focuses on professional training and trade school education for surviving family members of 9/11 victims and service members lost in subsequent wars. In this first-ever program, five main winners received a combined $27,000 in scholarships, with more grant recipients recognized across different training paths.
The nonprofit grew out of a local vigil shortly after the 9/11 attacks. The group formalized the organization by the following Tuesday, which inspired the name Tuesday’s Children. Nearly 25 years later, the charity still invests in youth empowerment, mentorship, and financial aid designed to turn loss into new opportunities.
Youth Empowerment Through Trade School Education
This trade school scholarship program highlights a clear goal: give young people and spouses of fallen service members access to practical education that leads directly to stable careers. Instead of traditional four-year degrees, the focus is on certificates, licensing, and short programs.
The partnership with the Justamere Foundation, an organization dedicated to veteran employability, made this initiative possible. Funding from this partner allowed Tuesday’s Children to move from mentorship and emotional support into targeted grant recipients for training in health care, technology, aviation, and other in-demand fields.
This approach to youth empowerment aligns with broader trends in workforce needs, where technical skills and industry credentials often translate into faster job placement and income growth.
Student Recognition Stories From Tuesday’s Children Scholarship Winners
The scholarship winners represent a wide range of backgrounds linked by shared loss and resilience. Their stories demonstrate how targeted financial support and structured education restore direction and purpose.
Each student recognition case shows how a focused grant transforms grief into practical next steps in life and work. These paths also model what other students in similar circumstances might pursue.
From 9/11 Infant To Cybersecurity Professional
One of the most striking winners, Justin S, was only four days old when his father died in the collapse of the North Tower on 9/11. For Justin, the Tuesday’s Children scholarship is more than financial aid. It acknowledges his family story and honors his father’s memory through academic achievement and professional training.
Justin will use his award to complete a cybersecurity course and earn Security+ and Certified Ethical Hacker certifications. This path connects to a wider world of security-focused awards, such as opportunities similar to the CyberCorps-style cybersecurity scholarships that also support digital defense careers.
By backing Justin’s training, Tuesday’s Children links past sacrifice with future protection of critical systems. This is youth empowerment expressed through technology, discipline, and service-oriented work.
Honoring Military Service Through Healthcare Education
Another scholarship winner, Alyssa P, lost her father, a veteran of the US Air Force. Her goal is to become a cardiac sonographer, a vital role in heart diagnostics. The Tuesday’s Children scholarship reduces her financial burden and accelerates her progress in health sciences.
Her path mirrors other health and service scholarships, such as specialized state programs or targeted science awards like the ecology-focused scholarships that reward students pursuing research and care for living systems. For Alyssa, medicine becomes a form of tribute and long-term community support.
By funding her training, the program shows how academic achievement in health care pays forward the values of service, discipline, and protection learned from military families.
Dominic J, the son of a US Navy veteran, sets his sights on serving as an emergency medical services pilot. The Tuesday’s Children trade school scholarship supports his path toward aviation and medical transport, where every decision influences patient survival.
His journey aligns with other aviation-related awards such as those similar to a flight instructor scholarship, which help cover licensing, flight hours, and specialized safety training. The EMS pilot path combines technical skill with frontline emergency service.
This story shows how one scholarship in a first-ever program can ripple out into broader public benefit through faster response times and expanded medical access in crisis situations.
Reskilling After Loss: A Military Widow Returns To School
Another notable grant recipient, Shaffiyah R, is the widow of an Army staff sergeant who died in 2016. She also served in the Air Force for 17 years. After years of military life, she now uses the Tuesday’s Children scholarship to obtain certification in medical billing and coding.
This move reflects a broader trend among military spouses and veterans who transition into health administration and remote-friendly careers. Similar patterns appear in other targeted awards, such as state-based revenue or public service scholarships that help adults re-skill for critical civilian roles.
Her path shows how structured education and clear credentials provide stability, work-life balance, and renewed identity after profound loss.
Expanded Scholarship Winners And Diverse Career Goals
Beyond the first five highlighted winners, Tuesday’s Children recognized additional grant recipients with diverse career plans. Each one uses their scholarship to enter a practical training program that supports both personal stability and community service.
The range of goals shows how one first-ever program supports multiple industries, from hospitality to fraud prevention. The common link is targeted education used as a bridge between loss and contribution.
Future Cooking Instructor And Culinary Leader
Kelly C plans to become a cooking instructor, using her scholarship to attend culinary training and teaching-focused courses. Her goal is to share food skills that improve daily life, health, and community connection.
This kind of path mirrors hands-on technical tracks like marine or technical trade awards, such as the marine technology scholarship that supports specialized vocational training. In both cases, skill-based education turns into local economic development and quality of life improvements.
Kelly’s future classrooms, whether in schools or community centers, become spaces where young people learn discipline, nutrition, and teamwork.
Project Management, Massage Therapy, And Fraud Examination
Other Tuesday’s Children scholarship winners include:
- Esmeralda G, who aims to become a project manager in a field where planning and coordination drive success.
- Dala E, who shares the same project management ambition, highlighting growing demand for structured leadership skills.
- Jinsun J, who trains to be a massage therapist, supporting physical recovery, pain relief, and mental well-being.
- Anna B, who plans to become a fraud examiner, protecting organizations and citizens from financial crime.
These paths echo other targeted awards, from teaching-focused programs such as the Illinois teaching scholarship to state-level senior aid like the Idaho senior scholarship. Across them all, the message stays the same. Focused financial support plus clear training routes equals stronger communities.
Community Support, Education, And The 25-Year Milestone
Tuesday’s Children now stands near the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. The nonprofit plans respectful commemorations for families while expanding its mission to address the long-term needs of those affected by terrorism, war, and mass violence.
The new trade school scholarship program adds a crucial layer to existing services such as mentorship, family engagement events, and resource navigation. It turns remembrance into forward-looking student recognition, where each award transforms memory into tangible academic achievement.
How Tuesday’s Children Aligns With Global Scholarship Opportunities
The approach used in the Tuesday’s Children scholarship aligns with global efforts to open education to underrepresented groups. For example, programs such as the KIND Fund for girls in Malawi focus on empowering young women through school access. Each model reflects the same belief in youth empowerment and long-term impact through structured learning.
Similarly, public finance or revenue-focused programs like the North Carolina revenue scholarships aim to build future public servants who strengthen state institutions. Tuesday’s Children combines this global mindset with a deeply personal mission tied to 9/11 and military sacrifice.
As the first-ever program matures, its scholarship winners stand as living proof that targeted education and community support turn loss into leadership and lasting social value.