McMinnville Native Spencer Vuksic Earns Intel Scholarship at Mercyhurst University

ERIE, PA (02/16/2012)(readMedia)-- Mercyhurst University intelligence studies major Spencer Vuksic distinguished himself among a field of 14 students nationwide to earn one of only two undergraduate intelligence scholarships awarded this year by the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association (AFCEA).

Each year AFCEA awards two undergraduate "intelligence scholarships" in the amount of $2,250 each to students enrolled full-time in an undergraduate degree-granting program in fields directly related to the support of U.S. intelligence or homeland security enterprises and/or foreign languages. These are merit scholarships based on demonstrated academic excellence, leadership and financial need.

Mercyhurst has been well represented in AFCEA's scholarship program in recent years with Cara Cantakis winning one of the two awards in 2011 and JoEllen Marsh taking one of two in 2010. And this year, Mercyhurst junior Joseph Reinhard joined Vuksic in taking home the honors.

Vuksic, a junior from McMinnville, Ore., is double-majoring in intelligence studies and Russian. He has studied abroad in Russia and has an "academic record that is one of the most accomplished within the department," according to a faculty recommendation that accompanied his scholarship application. "... He is extremely driven and motivated to be the best in our program."

AFCEA is a non-profit membership association serving the military, government, industry, and academia as an ethical forum for advancing professional knowledge and relationships in the fields of communications, information technology, intelligence, and global security.