Scholar Highlight: Patrick Foster

On August 20, 2005, U.S. Navy Captain Patrick Lyman F. passed away. His son, Patrick Jr. remembers him as his hero. “My dad spent over thirty years on active duty and in the reserves which he would tell you was the best job he ever had and the one he is most proud of,” said Patrick Jr. “He was working in the South Tower of the World Trade Center when the North Tower was hit on 9/11. Fortunately, he was able to evacuate his building before the second plane hit. After that, as soon as there was an opportunity, he left his job in the investment business to return to active duty to lead a cargo battalion to Iraq.”With the help of Fallen Patriots, Patrick Jr. is studying finance at Georgetown University. After graduation, he hopes to begin a career with the government at either the Treasury Department or the Federal Reserve.

As a Fallen Patriots scholarship recipient, Patrick was connected to an internship with Citigroup where he was given the opportunity to assist the Foreign Exchange (FX) department on the trading floor. “My internship at Citi has reinforced my decision to major in Finance and placed me in a much better position entering the recruiting process. While at Citi, I was able to rotate through many positions within the Foreign Exchange Department making numerous invaluable connections.”

Patrick believes his dad would be very proud of the person he’s become. “I’ve worked really hard to get to where I am today and I’m prepared to continue working hard to complete college and to take advantage of all of the opportunities I’ve been given.” Nearly 25,000 military children have lost a parent in the line of duty over the past 35 years. Fallen Patriots is working to identify and support every child in need through raising funds and awareness of the mission. “Fallen Patriots has given me the ability to discover some of the various opportunities available within the Finance Industry. Everyone at the bank was very welcoming and excited to talk about their role within the company. I cannot thank Fallen Patriots enough for connecting me to this opportunity!”

There are approximately 25,000 children who have lost an active-duty parent in the military over the last 35 years. The vision of Children of Fallen Patriots Foundation is to ensure that every such child receives all necessary college funding.