32 Students Win $64K in Defense Logistics Scholarships

Thirty-two students with family ties to Defense Logistics Agency employees are celebrating scholarship wins that will help power their college dreams for the 2026-2027 school year.

The DLA Foundation awarded each student a $2,000 scholarship based on merit and financial need. That's $64,000 total going directly into the pockets of young people working hard to build their futures.

Two scholarships carried extra meaning this year. The Frank Lotts Scholarship honored a former DLA senior executive who passed away in 2007, awarding funds to a student pursuing science, technology, engineering or math. Gabriella Olson, connected to a DLA Troop Support employee, received this year's award.

The Terry Phillips Scholarship remembered a DLA Distribution employee from Oklahoma City who passed away in 2023. Leanna Kohl, whose family member works at DLA Distribution, earned the top spot among applicants with ties to DLA operations in Oklahoma City.

The 32 winners come from families across multiple DLA organizations. They include students connected to DLA Distribution, DLA Weapons Support, DLA Disposition Services, and DLA Headquarters staff members.

Children, stepchildren, grandchildren, nieces and nephews of current or former DLA military and civilian employees can apply. The Foundation keeps scholarships flowing by hosting events throughout the year and accepting personal contributions and Combined Federal Campaign donations.

Why This Inspires

These scholarships do more than ease financial pressure. They tell young people that their families' service matters and that an entire organization is invested in their success.

The named scholarships honoring Frank Lotts and Terry Phillips show how workplaces can become communities. When colleagues pass away, their legacies live on through students they'll never meet but whose lives they'll forever change.

Every $2,000 award represents months of textbooks, housing costs, or reduced student loan debt. For 32 families, that burden just got lighter.

The DLA Foundation proves that federal agencies can look beyond their daily missions to nurture the next generation, one scholarship at a time.