Laughlin spouse wins AF Club Scholarship

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Jimmie D. Pike
  • 47th Flying Training Wing Public Affairs
LAUGHLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  A Laughlin member's fight with cancer is a driving force for her to further her education and pursue her goal.

Allyson Bean, Laughlin Frame Shop arts and crafts framer and cancer survivor, was announced as one of 25 winners for the Air Force Club Scholarship Sept. 17. She is married to 1st Lt. Shaun Bean, an instructor pilot here.

"A year ago to the day I was diagnosed with Stage 2B Hodgkin's Lymphoma. After four rigorous months of chemotherapy, I am in remission. I am doing whatever I can to fulfill the things that could have been easily taken away from me. One of those things is returning to school to eventually become a speech and language pathologist," she wrote in the award-winning essay.

With her working to reach her dream to become a speech and language pathologist, Bean continued her education which required her to find scholarship opportunities.

"My husband was on the club committee and they were talking about the scholarship," said Bean. "That's how I found out about it."

The scholarship's application window was from May 1 to July 1, and applicants had to submit a 500-word essay on an assigned topic. Applicants were judged at the base level and then again at the Air Force level before winners were chosen.

"I'm excited I won, and it's pretty cool being a winner from a small base such as Laughlin," said Bean.

Winners received $1,000 to use for tuition costs along with a laptop and portable printer as educational tools.

"I'm currently enrolled at Utah State University, which means all of my courses are online," said Bean. "The laptop and printer make school work that much easier."

The topic for the essay was, "Who or what inspires you to be successful, and why?" Bean decided to write her essay about her fight with cancer and how living inspires her.

"When writing an essay for a topic as broad as it was for the scholarship, I had to think outside of the box," said Bean. "I couldn't just say Ghandi or something more commonly used. I wanted to write something that was reflective of me."

Having won the scholarship, Bean plans to use the funds to continue her education and receive a second bachelor's in communicative disorders, and will continue to seek out more Air Force scholarships.

"I plan to pursue any and all scholarship opportunities I can find," said Bean. "From a spouse's perspective we want to further ourselves but can sometimes be limited. If we keep our ears to the ground we can find a way though. I encourage others to do the same."

For more information on the scholarship program or to read Allyson Bean's essay, visit www.afclubs.net.