Abraham Bohn Scholarship for Children of Veterans Contributes to UMass Legacy of Veteran Family Education

Animal science, economics, and legal studies are just a few of the interests of the five University of Massachusetts Amherst students selected to receive the first Abraham Bohn Scholarships for Children of Veterans.

Established in 2020 by UMass Amherst alumnus Larry Bohn ’74, the Abraham Bohn Scholarship for Children of Veterans supports UMass Amherst undergraduates who are children of deceased or disabled veterans. The fund is named after Larry’s father, Abraham, a World War II airman who was shot down, spent 18 months in a Romanian prisoner of war camp, and returned home with several health problems. After Abraham’s death, Larry and his sister Rhonda Bohn ’82 were able to attend UMass with support from the post-war GI Bill.

Massachusetts is home to more than 300,000 former members of the United States armed forces, and the number of veterans’ children who want to attend college—but cannot afford to—is growing. Currently, children of veterans who died or were completely and permanently disabled due to injuries sustained while on active duty in service to our country receive federal benefits, but they are not enough to cover the costs associated with attending college. The Bohn scholarship fund helps ensure that students whose families have made great sacrifices to defend our nation have access to an excellent college education.

The recipients of the 2021–22 Abraham Bohn Scholarship for Children of Veterans are:

Christina Eckenreiter ’24 

Eckenreiter is a sophomore from Fairhaven, Massachusetts, who plans to become a wildlife veterinarian with a specialty in virology and pathology. She lost her father when she was five years old. Now pursuing her degree in animal science, she says, “With this scholarship, I will be able to afford my books and take the classes I need to become proficient in my field and make the difference in the world that my father had intended for me to make.” 

Hunter Sergey ’22 

Sergey is a senior from Leominster, Massachusetts, majoring in

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economics. After graduation, he would like to work in public policy in order to reform ineffective environmental laws. About the scholarship, he says, “I am extremely grateful for this opportunity, and I would like to give a special thank you to the Bohn family and my mother for their service in the army, which allowed me the freedom to pursue whatever career I wanted—a luxury not everybody is afforded.” 

Daniel Cowen ’22 

Cowen is a senior from Fall River, Massachusetts, majoring in building and construction technology. He is interested in building sustainability and hopes to begin his professional career as a project manager or drafter at a company in Western Massachusetts. He says, “With this scholarship, I hope to be able to graduate from UMass Amherst more quickly so I can start to fully pay off my student loans and pay my father back for all the support he has given me throughout my life.”  

Noah Jacques ’23 

Jacques is a junior from Greenfield, Massachusetts, majoring in

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environmental science. After graduation, he plans to enlist in the Air Force to become a pararescue jumper. His ultimate goal is to earn a master’s degree in criminal justice and apply to become a game warden for the Fish and Wildlife Service. He says, “This scholarship brings me much closer to my goal of attaining a degree and getting a head start in life.” 

Victoria Hodgdon ’23 

Hodgdon is a junior from East Longmeadow, Massachusetts, majoring in English and legal studies with a minor in political science. She intends to go to law school to become an international human rights attorney. She says, “This scholarship will relieve so much financial stress and allow me to solely focus on my studies without worrying about how my single mother is going to put both my brother and me through college.”

Children of veterans bring a diverse set of experiences and perspectives to UMass Amherst. Like their classmates, they have the potential to become leaders in their communities, both locally and globally, with increased access to the world-class higher education our university provides. For this reason, financial aid continues to be a vital priority. The generosity of the UMass community allows these students to pursue their passions and talents regardless of their financial circumstances and prepares them to immediately contribute to society in myriad ways without the burden of debt. 

Next year, and in the years to come, the goal is to increase the number of students supported by this scholarship as the income from this endowment grows. 

For more information about this scholarship, contact Meredith Feltus at mfeltus@umass.edu.