Veterans scholarship helps marine explore engineering passion

Katherine Ruelan '27 doesn't just embrace challenges, she runs toward them.

That's how the South Jersey native found herself in the U.S. Marine Corps, straight out of high school, repairing ground radios and circuit boards as an electronics technician stationed in Okinawa, Japan.

"I had no idea what to expect going into it," Ruelan said, "but I ended up loving it."

After five years of military service, Ruelan returned home and quickly rose to a supervisory role at an electronics manufacturing company, all while pursuing her education at a local community college. Balancing work and studies was difficult, but fueled her drive to go further.

"I was seeing a lot of success in my professional and academic life, but it was really difficult because working and going to school consumed all of my time," Ruelan said. "I reached a point where I wanted to attend school full time to focus more on my studies and explore my interests."

With encouragement from her community college veteran advisor and guidance from Cornell's Student Veteran Program, Ruelan found the resources she needed to pursue her education full time, including the Cornell Veterans Engineering Scholarship.

Ruelan is the first to receive the scholarship, which was established in 2023 thanks to the generosity of Cornell Engineering alumni Gordie Vap '96, M.Eng. '97, and Tracy Vap '96. The couple are veterans of the U.S. Air Force - Gordie serving nine years on active duty as an A-10 Warthog fighter pilot, and Tracy serving four years active duty as an acquisitions officer working on the F-22 and C-17 programs before becoming a reserve officer.

"We place tremendous value on our Cornell education and our real-world education in the military. We think the combined experience has helped us in every aspect of our lives," said Gordie Vap, who now works in finance. "We hope our scholarship makes it easier for these students to receive the same world-class education we received."

Vap added that the scholarship will help veterans like Ruelan bring the unique skills and resilience they developed in the military into an academic setting. "Unlike me, who came straight to college after high school, veterans show up day one with an uncommon level of maturity and resilience," he said.

"We want this scholarship to give veterans the freedom to explore what drives them and to focus on learning and building meaningful connections," said Tracy Vap, who holds degrees in both chemical engineering and business. "These experiences will build a solid foundation for whatever comes next in their lives."

Ruelan chose to major in mechanical engineering, but she's planning to take a broad range of courses to discover what sparks her curiosity. She's especially excited for the Intro to Mechanical Design course, her first hands-on lab experience at Cornell, where she'll explore every step of the design process, from brainstorming and prototyping to testing.

Ruelan is approaching her time at Cornell with the same determination that carried her through the Marine Corps. Thanks to the scholarship, she feels welcomed and encouraged.

"Oftentimes as a non-traditional student you can feel out of place, but the scholarship is a reminder that you do have a place here, and there are people that are rooting for you and willing to support you in that journey," Ruelan said. "It's really validating."

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