Growing up, Ike Blackmore rode the city bus from his house in South Austin through the University of Texas at Austin campus, dreaming about his future. “I’d always wanted to go to UT,” he says.

But as a high schooler, Ike visited Texas A&M University and “fell in love” with the Aggies’ Corps of Cadets. At A&M he enlisted in the National Guard, and after graduating with a degree in engineering, he was commissioned into the U.S. Army as an infantry officer. Following his initial assignment as a platoon leader in an arctic warfare company, he became an officer in the 75th Ranger Regiment, where he led a 40-Ranger platoon through two deployments to Afghanistan.

Finally, the time was right for Blackmore to enroll at UT. He began the university’s dual-degree MBA/JD program in the McCombs School of Business and School of Law last fall. He also entered UT as the inaugural recipient of the Warrior National Foundation Scholarship — the university’s first scholarship dedicated especially to special operations veterans pursuing a Texas McCombs MBA.

For Ike Blackmore, a first-generation graduate student, the Warrior National Foundation Scholarship is allowing him the freedom and support to immerse himself in law, economics and internships in business and energy.

“This scholarship enabled me to truly become an explorer and take advantage of all the opportunities at UT, and not just treat it as a trade school or a box to be checked,” Ike says. “Education means a lot to me. This scholarship means a lot to me. I’m doing my damnedest to really learn, so I’ll be able to give back someday.”