Enter your email Address

Giving To Mason Giving To Mason-Stacked
  • Vision
      • gmu-arrowVision
      • Make Your Difference
        • Students
        • Research
        • Campus
      • More
        • See the Impact
        • Give Now
  • Impact
      • gmu-arrowImpact
      • Impact Stories
        • Faster Farther Recap
        • Donor Recognition
      • More
        • See the Impact
        • Give Now
  • How To Give
      • gmu-arrowHow To Give
      • Giving by School
        • Athletics
        • College of Education and Human Development
        • College of Health and Human Services
        • College of Humanities and Social Sciences
        • College of Science
        • College of Visual and Performing Arts
        • Hylton Performing Arts Center
        • Honors College
        • Antonin Scalia Law School
        • Schar School of Policy and Government
        • School of Business
        • Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution
        • University Libraries
        • University Life
        • College of Engineering and Computing
      • Corporate Giving
        • Overview
      • Make A Planned Gift
        • Overview
        • Explore More
      • More
        • See the Impact
        • Give Now
  • Connect
      • gmu-arrowConnect
      • Ways to Connect
        • Contact Us
        • Alumni Engagement
        • George Mason University
          Foundation, Inc.
        • Impact
      • Questions?
        • FAQ
      • Policies
        • Donor Bill of Rights
        • Administrative Fee Policy
      • Contact Our Team
        • Contact University Advancement And Alumni Relations Staff
        • Contact School, College, And Unit Advancement Staff
  • Visit
    Gmu.Edu
  • GiveNow
  • Search
  • Menu Menu
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Youtube
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Youtube
CHHS

Scholarship Profile: John Ferry

07/25/2016
Share this entry
  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on LinkedIn
  • Share by Mail

“I took it as a given that I had to repay my benefactor, Chris [Jones, CEO of ERPi]. The only way I could do that was to put his investment in me to good use,” continues Ferry. “That meant putting my heart and soul into it. So with the class load, plus three children and a full-time job, and I also founded and ran a veterans service organization on the side . . . it all meant that time management was a huge thing!”

Ask John Ferry about his family, and he’ll tell you that “I come from Army stock.” His father went to West Point, and Ferry’s four eldest siblings all enlisted in the Army. Ferry followed that path, but with a twist: on his 18th birthday, he shipped off to Fort Benning to join the Army Special Forces. Eventually, he became a Green Beret.

After a few years in active service, Sgt. Ferry transitioned to the Army National Guard and moved to the Washington, D.C. area. He found work with a Department of Defense civilian contractor and began taking undergraduate courses online. In 2008 he was married; in 2009 he deployed to Afghanistan, where he was seriously injured in an accident. Back home, he joined the Army staff at the Pentagon in 2011. He and his wife Shelly had their third child, Colleen. Soon after, Colleen was diagnosed with epilepsy—“an ongoing challenging experience,” Ferry says.

In the midst of this, Ferry learned from an Army friend about the scholarship program at Mason for disabled veterans. “The catch was, you had to get a masters degree in public policy,” he says. “Since I was in D.C. and knew how valuable policy would be, I jumped at it.”

Ferry’s path sounds complicated, but actually it is not all that uncommon. Many servicemembers have been wounded or injured, many have the goal of pursuing higher education, and many take non-traditional paths to get there. In Ferry’s case, his 9/11 GI bill benefits paid half his tuition, with the ERPi veterans scholarship picking up the rest. “Without a doubt, except for the scholarship I could not have gone to grad school,” he says.

“I took it as a given that I had to repay my benefactor, Chris [Jones, CEO of ERPi]. The only way I could do that was to put his investment in me to good use,” continues Ferry. “That meant putting my heart and soul into it. So with the class load, plus three children and a full-time job, and I also founded and ran a veterans service organization on the side . . . it all meant that time management was a huge thing!”

Ferry graduated with his masters in public policy at the end of 2015. But he had better continue to focus on time management. In May Shelly gave birth to their fourth child, Luke.

Since 2012, ERPi has donated more than $70,000 to fund immediate scholarship assistance for deserving service-disabled veterans who enroll in the Schar School of Policy and Government (as the school will be formally renamed effective August 1).

READ MORE ABOUT THE ERPI SCHOLARSHIP.

The ERPi scholarship is just one of many support services offered by Mason’s OFFICE OF MILITARY SERVICES. The need is great: one out of every ten students at George Mason University—nearly 3,400 in all—is a veteran, a current military service member, or the dependent of one.

Share this entry
  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on LinkedIn
  • Share by Mail
Giving To Mason Giving To Mason-Stacked
  • Vision
  • Impact
  • How to Give
  • Connect
  • Visit
    Gmu.Edu
  • GiveNow
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Youtube
Giving to Mason

George Mason University is Virginia’s largest public research university, located in one of the most important political, economic and intellectual hubs in the world. Our mission is to help students succeed, enrich our community, and contribute to solving the most complex global problems.

Office of Advancement and Alumni Relations

4400 University Drive, MS 1A3
Fairfax, Virginia 22030
703-993-8850

Copyright © 2022 George Mason University | www.gmu.edu

Privacy Policies | Sitemap

Scroll to top