MMAA Military Spouse “Donna Johnson Memorial Scholarship” Application
proudly funded by Parsons

Deadline to apply: April 1, 2024

MMAA honors the life and legacy of Donna Johnson, a former Parsons employee, with the MMAA Military Spouse "Donna Johnson Memorial Scholarship" Award.

This is a scholarship between $2,500-$5,000. To qualify for this scholarship, you must be married to an active duty, reserve, guard, retired, medically retired, or fallen service member of the U.S. Armed Forces, and you must be enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate degree program through an accredited, public university where you’re pursuing a STEM degree or certification such as PMP, security certifications, business certifications of Agile, or Six Sigma.

The award stands to honor the life, legacy, and bravery of Army National Guard Staff Sergeant Donna Johnson who was killed in Afghanistan in 2012 along with two other soldiers. Donna, a member of the 514th Military Police Company, was one of the first same-sex spouses to die after the repeal of the military's Don't Ask Don't Tell policy. In the time before nationwide marriage equality, her wife, Army National Guard Staff Sgt. Tracy Johnson had to fight for the survivor benefits accorded to a different-sex spouse, which was not granted until 2014.

Thanks to Donna’s legacy, Tracy’s courage, and the advocacy work of the American Military Partner Association (now known as MMAA), the Department of Veterans Affairs changed its policies to recognize Tracy for survivor benefits. These efforts contributed to the overall fight to ensure nationwide marriage equality.

Nominate a military spouse for the scholarship award below.

Please note: The nominator and nominee must be MMAA members – subscribe for free to become a member.

Are you a member of MMAA? *
Is the nominee a member of the LGBTQ+ community? *
Is the nominee a military spouse with a valid military ID? *
Is the nominee married to an active duty, reserve, guard, retired, medically retired, or fallen service member of the U.S. Armed Forces? *
Is the nominee enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate degree program from an accredited, public university pursuing a STEM degree or certification (e.g., PMP, security certifications, business certifications of Agile, Six Sigma)? *
By submitting this form, you and the nominee give permission to be featured on MMAA's and Parsons' social media platforms and publications. Application responses (excluding contact information), images, and the nominee's name may be shared. *