A Modern Woodmen scholarship recipient talks about the value of education

From East Africa to Bolivia and Algeria and even in her own backyard of Washington, D.C., Courtney Santonicola has seen the way education impacts people.

“I feel blessed to have had access to education,” says Courtney, a 1992 Modern Woodmen scholarship recipient. “Education is the key to success. Allowing me to go to college gave me choices. Scholarships are door openers.”

Since 1970, Modern Woodmen has awarded nearly $7 million in scholarship funds.

Courtney, 33, a former U.S. State Department employee and now a consultant for the Peace Corps, says her scholarship saved her from having to hold down a job and tackle classes at the same time.

“It gave me the luxury to focus on my studies,” she says.

That focus on academics and an interest in international relations led Courtney to study abroad and do internships in Spain, England and New Zealand.

After graduating from Mary Washington College in Fredericksburg, Va., Courtney worked on Capitol Hill for six years. Serving on the House side as a legislative assistant, she focused on issues like education and adoption.

In 2002, she started work with the State Department, eventually investigating sex trafficking and justice issues. After a year with the State Department, Courtney started work with the Peace Corps.

Through her work with the State Department, her position with the Peace Corps and on her own initiative, Courtney traveled to East Africa, Romania, Ukraine, South Korea, Bolivia, the Dominican Republic and more.

Courtney says her work at the Peace Corps combined her love of international relations with her other passion – volunteering.

“Civic involvement was always important in my life,” Courtney says. “It was modeled in my family.”

Throughout her time in Washington, D.C., Courtney served as a mentor and was involved in community activities.

“One of the things I’m most proud of is mentoring an inner-city girl in Washington, D.C.,” Courtney says. “I’ve been a mentor to her since she was 10 years old. She’s 21 now, and just graduated in the top 10 of her high school class. She’s seen me go through different jobs and stages of life, and I’ve gotten to watch her grow up into a very determined young woman.”

Courtney, who served as Deputy Chief of Staff for the Peace Corps before taking on her consulting role, says her career has allowed her to see the importance of volunteering and education first hand.

“It really changes people,” she says. “I feel very blessed. I couldn’t have dreamt this life for myself. The things I’ve seen have deepened my heart. There are images burned into my mind, and I know how lucky I am to have the opportunities I’ve had.”