This past weekend I was able to attend the Clinton Global Initiative University at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. While there, I was able to connect with Tillman Military Scholars Amanda Thomson, Elizabeth O’Herrin and Cameron Waites, and attend with fellow Tillman Scholar-ASU Tyler Eltringham.

TS-ASU Tyler Eltringham, TMS Amanda Thomson, TS-ASU Priya Nathan and TMS Cameron Waites arrive at GWU for CGI U.

The experience was beyond amazing and the Tillman Scholar presence was strong as it has been at the past four conferences. Over 1,000 students from all 50 states, 82 countries and more than 300 universities were in attendance this past weekend.

During the Saturday sessions, I attended a panel on Education Reform, which helped inform the direction I am heading next with a position in Teach for America. Other sessions followed the topics of climate change, poverty and global health. I also attended one of the offered skills session, this one on how to raise money for an idea/project.

Tillman Scholars-ASU Priya Nathan and Tyler Eltringham on campus at George Washington University.

CGIU is a great way for an individual who has an idea to turn that idea into action. All of the panels (featuring individuals such as Usher, Kristen Bell, Jon Stewart and Madeline Albright) were informative and helped to drive home the importance of any idea to change a community, no matter how big or how small. Plus, as attendees, we got to interact with President Clinton and learn about what he is doing to change the world after his service as our President.

TS-ASU Priya Nathan (left) serves alongside President Clinton at the CGI U Day of Service.

Not only did we attend the conference sessions, we snuck in some time for Georgetown Cupcakes and some sightseeing in our nation’s Capitol City. And participated in the CGI U Day of Service, where we had the opportunity to serve in D.C.’s Ward 7 alongside President Clinton, current NFL WRs and Rhodes Scholar and Army veteran Wes Moore.

Donté Stallworth (New England Patriots WR), Anthony Armstrong (Washington Redskins WR), TMS Elizabeth O'Herrin, Torrey Smith (Baltimore Ravens WR) and TS-ASU Priya Nathan at the CGI U Day of Service.

This weekend was an amazing trip with memorable experiences (I got to shake President Clinton’s hand and discuss his vegan diet!) and opportunities to connect with fellow Scholars around the country!

Visit the Pat Tillman Foundation Facebook page to see some more pictures.

Two local UM-Flint students attend Pat Tillman Legacy Summit in Washington, D.C.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010 | The Flint Journal | Submitted by Cameron Waites

My name is Cameron Waites. I am a student veteran at the University of Michigan-Flint, and also a scholar in the National Institutes of Health Undergraduate Scholarship Program. Currently, I’m at the NIH in Bethesda, Maryland, where I’m working for the summer, trying to learn more about and do biomedical research. I wanted to let you know about the Pat Tillman Foundation’s “Pat Tillman Legacy Summit” that took place last week. As Jeremy Glasstetter and I are both Tillman Military Scholars, we represent the Pat Tillman Foundation and participated in the Legacy Summit in Washington, D.C.

We were at the Capitol last Tuesday and Wednesday meeting with our congressional representatives to tell them about our experiences transitioning from the military as servicemembers back into civilian life as students, and how the Tillman Military Scholars program and Pat Tillman Foundation has assisted the success of our transition. During our time at the Capitol, we met with Senator Carl Levin to discuss these aims, and also happened to meet Senator John McCain and Senator Daniel Akaka. During the Summit Reception, we met Senator McCain again and he seemed to remember us from the previous day. It was quite an awesome time!

The Pat Tillman Foundation’s mission is to invest in veterans and their families through education and community. The path to achieving this mission is the Tillman Military Scholars program – a program that I am a proud and fortunate to be a part of.

The Summit we hosted represents the beginning of an important effort by the Pat Tillman Foundation to increase public awareness of the hardships endured by military families, and to tell the stories of my fellow Tillman Military Scholars.

Cameron Waites is from Mt. Morris. Jeremy Glasstetter is a Davison native.

Cameron Waites, left, Sen. John McCain and Jeremy Glasstetter.
Second row, from left, are Jason Quian, David Boone and Alyssa Huebner

Pat Tillman Legacy Summit | June 9, 2010

Biography

Branch of Armed Services: Army
Age: 28
Hometown: Mt. Morris, Michigan
Institution of Higher Learning: University of Michigan-Flint (Flint, MI)
Degree Sought: Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences

Sergeant Cameron Waites’ story is one of transformation, perseverance, and hard work. During his first two years of college, he allowed social activities to overshadow his other obligations, tarnishing his academic record and bringing him to the realization that “my goal of becoming a physician was unfounded with my poor grades, large debt, and unrealistic attitude.” To reverse this, Cameron enlisted in the U.S. Army which provided him with the opportunity to learn the discipline, confidence, and organizational skills he needed to refocus his life and pursue his desire to become a physician. After serving over four years in the Army, Cameron is now pursuing a second Bachelor’s degree and eventually plans to attend medical school and attain an MD/PhD and become a physician-scientist focused on issues of health disparities among individuals of different backgrounds.

Quotes from Cameron:

“Experience pays dividends. As such, my decision to serve my country in the U.S. Army was an essential and life changing one. Wanting to put my ambitions to the test and turn my life around, I became a medic in order to recommit my focus to duty in something larger than myself. In doing so, I set out to serve my country, protect our citizens, succeed academically, escape financial discord, develop maturity, and ingrain an indomitable work ethic to discover whether I truly had a calling for the science of medicine.”

“I believe my military and life experiences are a testament to the positive transformation that military service can have on an individual. Truly my experiences serving my country have made this [transformation] possible. I now work to improve the lives of others and use the experience gained in the military as the foundation upon which to build my future of service.”

Chevrolet made the donation as part of Eric Byrnes’ Roberto Clemente award nomination. Good luck Eric!