---
title: "2 Terp Veterans Received Scholarships. Still Students, They Started One for Others."
date: 2026-11-11T05:30:00-05:00
author: University of Maryland
canonical_url: "https://today.umd.edu/2-terp-veterans-received-scholarships-still-students-they-started-one-for-others"
section: Articles
---
# 2 Terp Veterans Received Scholarships. Still Students, They Started One for Others.

*November 11, 2026* — by [Jessica D. Wilson](/author/jessica-wilson)


> Funds support students who foster community through the organization TerpVets.

*DSC 0655 1920x1080 — Henry Carbajales ’13 (left) and Tyler Austin ’16 were awarded scholarships through UMD’s Veteran Student Life program. They were still students when they started their own scholarship for other Terp veterans. (Photo by Geoff Coyle)*

<span>By the time Tyler Austin ’16 enrolled at the University of Maryland, he’d been deployed to Kuwait, served in Germany and South Korea, then joined the Air Force Reserves. At 24 years old, he spent the week going to classes and his weekends working in the U.S. drone program.</span>

<span>“My mind was a part of the weapon system. On weekends, I'd watch a house or follow a terrorist or a high-value target. I \[got\] a say in whether we drop a Hellfire missile or not,” he said. “Being in a classroom with a bunch of young freshmen that are talking about the frat party … it's just a different world.” </span>

<span>But he found a community on campus with other veterans, including Henry Carbajales ’13, who had deployed to Iraq several times during eight years in the Marine Corps and was stationed at U.S. embassies in Jamaica, Paris and Mexico City. </span>

<span>The two geographical sciences majors also had something else in common: They had been awarded scholarships through UMD’s Veteran Student Life program. </span>

<span>Inspired by the support they received at the university, Carbajales and Austin were still students when they joined forces to create a new scholarship for their peers who are active in the student-run organization </span>[<span>TerpVets</span>](https://stamp.umd.edu/get_involved/veteran_student_life/terp_vets)<span>. </span>

<span>A primary goal for the two men: “reminding veterans, you’ve got to be part of the community because these are memories that will follow you forever,” Carbajales said. </span>

<span>A decade later, the </span>[<span>TerpVets Alumni Endowed Scholarship</span>](https://studentaffairs.umd.edu/scholarships/terp-vets-alumni)<span> has been awarded to nine Terp veterans.</span>

<span>TerpVets, which organizes volunteer and social events for veterans, was a central part of both Austin’s and Carbajales’ UMD experience. It’s part of the Veterans Student Life (VSL) program in the Division of Student Affairs, which provides opportunities for veterans to build community, access tutoring and receive informal advising on anything from the GI Bill to the add-drop process. Austin was an undergraduate adviser and Carbajales a graduate advisor for VSL.</span>

<span>The scholarships they received were vital to their UMD experience: Austin the </span>[<span>Edward and Janet Friedson Memorial Veterans Scholarship</span>](https://studentaffairs.umd.edu/edward-and-janet-friedson-memorial-veterans-endowed-scholarship)<span> and Carbajales the </span>[<span>Ernest M. Willcher Veterans Scholarship</span>](https://studentaffairs.umd.edu/scholarships/ernest-m-willcher-veterans)<span>. They were each living off-campus, and the additional funds allowed them to focus on their studies without needing jobs. </span>

<span>The financial breathing room also opened the doors to participating in extracurricular activities that remain a highlight more than a decade later — especially for Carbajales, who competed in ballroom dancing throughout his time at Maryland. </span>

<span>“Both \[Henry\] and myself had six-figure jobs walking out of school with zero debt. We couldn't have done that without a scholarship,” said Austin. “We found so much success. "I was so grateful to not have financial stress in my college years. My values and my convictions required me to pass it forward to a brother or sister in arms.”</span>

<span>One of the TerpVets Alumni Endowed Scholarship recipients, Marine Corps veteran Joseph Hartner ’23, worked with the VSL program and served in a leadership role in TerpVets as well as volunteered with Mission 22, an organization dedicated to stopping veteran suicide. </span>

<span>He recalled having a particularly challenging time when he became a Terp during the COVID-19 pandemic. The lockdown made it difficult to be part of the veteran community at first, but “the scholarship opened up the avenue to reach out to other veterans that previously went to Maryland, like Tyler and Henry,” said Hartner. “They did encourage me a lot to come out of my shell and help support the veteran community.” </span>




**Topics:** [Campus &amp; Community](https://today.umd.edu/tags/campus-community)


**Tags:** [Veterans](https://today.umd.edu/topic/veterans), [Philanthropy](https://today.umd.edu/topic/philanthropy), [Alumni](https://today.umd.edu/topic/alumni), [Student Experience](https://today.umd.edu/topic/student-experience)


**Units:** [Division of Student Affairs](https://today.umd.edu/topic/division-student-affairs), [College of Behavioral and Social Sciences](https://today.umd.edu/topic/college-behavioral-and-social-sciences)