K-State student receives scholarship honoring our nation’s military
As an award-winning master’s student in architecture, Nathan Keener knows the value of hard work and perseverance.
Because of his own hard work and his dad’s military service, Keener recently received a Valor Scholarship in Honor of Mac Sinise through the Gary Sinise Foundation in partnership with Kansas State University. The scholarship supports military-connected students pursuing higher education.
Keener and the other Valor Scholarship recipients were honored on the field during the Fort Riley Day football game.
What does it mean to you to receive this scholarship?
“It means so much for me, especially being in graduate school now with classes obviously being a little bit more expensive and things starting to get real as I walk into the real world and my career.
“It’s nice to have some financial support, but deeper than that, it’s nice to know that people are looking out for me. The opportunity to attend the football game and be around the great people who have set up something that has benefited me and impacted me personally definitely meant a lot.”
What is your connection with the military?
“My dad was in the Army for about 30 years. We were blessed to live across the U.S. I was born in Oklahoma City, and lived in Elizabethtown, Kentucky; near Baltimore, Maryland; and in Derby, Kansas.”
What was it like being recognized on the field on Fort Riley Day?
“So cool. It honestly was a little bit surreal because I hadn’t been down on the field since I used to go to football camps there. It was kind of cool being back down there as an ordinary student.
“The value that K-State has for the military and the respect they have for people who have served the country really means a lot. I know my dad’s the one who served, but it meant a lot to me because of the appreciation I felt for something that I didn’t necessarily do. I was a part of the recognition, but my dad was the one who served.”
How did growing up in the military shape you into who you are today?
“I think the military has the ability to either break you or build you. You definitely go through some tough times. But I think if you allow that to build you, and if you look back with appreciation, it can spring you forward in life.”
What does K-State mean to you?
“I’ve actually been thinking about that a lot lately as I near graduation within the next couple of years. What a journey it’s been!
“As soon as I got here, I honestly fell in love with the place — the community, the people, the education and the culture that surrounds it all. The biggest thing that’s stuck out to me lately is the community I’ve been able to surround myself with in Manhattan and at K-State. It’s definitely something special, and I’m so glad I made the decision to be a Wildcat.”
About the Sinise Foundation
Forrest Gump-inspired actor Gary Sinise created the Gary Sinise Foundation to support veterans, first responders, wounded heroes and families of the fallen. The Valor Scholarship honors the memory of Sinise’s son, who died of cancer in 2024.
By Will Hudelson