Ariel Scott got a heart-stopping call in 2007 when her husband, stationed in Iraq, called with some news.
“The good news is I’m coming home early,” he told her. “The bad news is I got shot.”
Ariel, now 26, always planned to finish her college degree. Yet motherhood and military life at Fort Bragg kept her busy. Then, Taylor Scott was deployed to Iraq, where he ended up staying until his injury. During his 15-month tour, Ariel found out she was pregnant with their second child and moved back home to Idaho.
Now, Ariel is able to finish her education because of Colorado Technical University’s Wounded Warrior Spouse Scholarship program. She is able to take all of her classes online at home so she can study while taking care of 4-year-old Ethan and 3-year-old Dylan.
“This has been such a blessing for us,” she said.
Although Taylor’s injuries were not life threatening, his wounds required multiple surgeries and rehabilitation because many of the nerves in his hand were damaged. The Scotts juggled doctor visits while taking care of their two children.
Yet Taylor’s injury provided a silver lining. Ariel qualified for a special scholarship through CTU, meaning she could go back to classes as soon as things quieted down.
Once Ariel and Taylor finally had time to focus on their education, the family moved to Colorado. Taylor now attends gunsmithing school nearby.
Earlier this month, Ariel attained an associates degree in accounting and plans to keep taking online classes to get her bachelors degree.
“I want to do something with taxes or accounting. I just love math,” she said.
Without the scholarship, Ariel said she and her husband would have had to decide who would get a degree first.
“We could not have both gone to school at the same time,” she said. “This really took the pressure off of us, and now we can enter the workforce at the same time.”
Each year, Colorado Technical University provides 25 full scholarships to wounded service members and 25 to their spouses. It is one of the few universities to offer scholarships specifically for people in that situation, spokeswoman Chandra Brin said. Ariel received her scholarship in November 2009.
According to CTU, wounded veterans and their families often have specific circumstances that make it hard to finish school. The scholarship applies to online classes, so recovering service members can start or continue their education as they go through rehab or surgery.
Spouses, on the other hand, often find themselves the primary breadwinner or caregiver for their wounded husbands or wives. The online classes are designed to provide flexibility so they can help their families recover without interrupting their educational path.
Online classes can be accessed anywhere, which is meant to target military families who are used to moving around.
“This type of learning is really geared towards me,” she said.
The Scotts are happy to have a helping hand through tough times. Ariel said her family will have more opportunities after graduation, leaving them free to find jobs in Colorado, back home in Idaho or somewhere else.
“We’re up for the next adventure,” she said. “God really laid out a path for us, and everything lined up.”