11
June
2019
|
13:15 PM
America/New_York

Ohio State law and public affairs student named Tillman Scholar

Carrie Mayer is a U.S. Army veteran

An Ohio State University graduate student has been named a 2019 Tillman Scholar. Carrie Mayer plans to pursue a law degree in the Moritz College of Law as well as a master of public administration degree in the John Glenn College of Public Affairs. She is one of just 60 scholars from around the country selected by the Pat Tillman Foundation (PTF) for the prestigious award.

In recognition of their service, leadership and potential, the newly selected class of scholars will receive more than $1.2 million in scholarships from the PTF to pursue higher education and continue their service in the fields of healthcare, business, law, public service, STEM, education and the humanities. The scholarship covers tuition and fees, books and living expenses.

In selecting Mayer, the foundation observed, “Through her time in the Army and life as an expatriate, Mayer spent years making a difference in communities across a broad spectrum of need. Those experiences taught her two things: being born an American is a gift, and real change takes time.”

Mayer decided to serve her country when she was 15, after the Sept. 11 attacks. She earned her bachelor’s degree at George Washington University and through ROTC, was commissioned as an officer in the Army after college. Meyer deployed to Haiti, Iraq and Afghanistan. After seven years on active duty, she transitioned to the reserves and moved her family to Zambia. There, she served as the lead for a solar-powered refrigeration project, working hand-in-hand with subsistence farmers in East Africa.

Mayer will pursue a law degree at Ohio State to improve her home community and her family. She wants to continue her service to the country by living and working in Columbus to achieve long-term progress. Her husband works for the Columbus Division of Police, and she plans to help the department by establishing a relocation support network to attract qualified recruits throughout the country.

As a lawyer, Mayer wants to use her degree to serve the most vulnerable members in her local community. She sees a career as a public defender as a continuation of her oath to uphold the Constitution, ensuring that everyone receives their sixth amendment right to counsel, regardless of circumstance.

Mayer is Ohio State’s seventh Tillman Scholar since the university became a Pat Tillman Foundation university partner in 2014.