Two sergeants at Fort Jackson receive scholarships

Two sergeants at Fort Jackson are this year’s recipients of the 100th Infantry Division and Pfc. Henry B. Williams Jr. Scholarship. Staff Sgt. Esteban Ibarra, a military police officer with the 17th Military Police Detachment, and Sgt. Alicia Hubbard, a court reporter for the Staff Judge Advocate Office, received checks to help with school fees and books.

Hubbard said the scholarship is about more than financial assistance.

“Although it is difficult for a two-student household to maintain out-of-pocket school expenses, my husband and I firmly believe in showing our son, the future generation, how important education is,” said Hubbard, who’s studying criminal justice and forensic psychology at Kaplan University.

Pursuing a degree in education at Ashford University, Ibarra’s looking to become a teacher and a principal.

“Anything is attainable if you want it badly enough,” said Ibarra, who has been working on his degree for several years through multiple stations and a deployment and hopes to complete his degree next year.

The first scholarships were awarded in 1992, said Fort Jackson’s community relations officer Kara Motosicky. Applicants must be active-duty sergeants or staff sergeants assigned to Fort Jackson. The deadline for to apply for next year’s scholarships is June.

This story was originally published August 24, 2015 at 7:14 PM with the headline "Two sergeants at Fort Jackson receive scholarships."