Pat Tillman Foundation Awards Scholarships to Two Students
Nicole Echols ’25 and Galen Jones ’26 join a select group of higher education students pursuing careers that build on their military experiences.
Two Yale SOM students, Nicole Echols ’25 and Galen Jones ’26, have received Tillman Scholarships to support their education in “high impact” areas of study.
The Pat Tillman Foundation (PTF), which provides scholarships to active-duty service members, veterans, and military spouses, announced the group of 60 new scholarship recipients in June. Chosen from a pool of nearly 1,600 applicants, members of the new cohort are “models of service, humble leadership, and impact.”
Named in honor of football player Pat Tillman, who left his career with the Arizona Cardinals to serve in the U.S. Army in 2002 and was later killed in action, the foundation has supported more than 900 Tillman Scholars at more than 150 universities. The scholarships fund higher education in areas such as healthcare, business, and STEM.
“I am deeply honored and incredibly grateful to join the Tillman community,” said Echols, a student in the MBA for Executives program. As a sergeant major in the Army, she founded a nonprofit dedicated to empowering military women in U.S. Special Operations forces.
“I chose Yale SOM because the school’s commitment to social impact and values resonate with my military experience and my career aspirations,” she added.
Jones, a Special Forces veteran and incoming MBA student, is also pursuing a joint degree at the Yale School of Public Health.
With plans for a career in humanitarian medical response, Jones is presently a summer intern with the World Health Organization’s Health Emergencies Programme, supporting humanitarian efforts in Sudan.
“Pat’s story inspired me even before I joined the military, and now I'm humbled to join a community that embodies his values of service, scholarship, humble leadership, and impact,” Jones said. “These same principles drew me to Yale, where I’m surrounded by equally passionate individuals striving to make a positive difference in the world.”
A total of five Yale students, including Echols and Jones, were named 2024 Tillman Scholarship recipients.