Sam Long ’22, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and student at the University of Virginia School of Law, has been named a 2020 Tillman Scholar.

The Tillman Foundation’s scholarship recipients are “military service members, veterans and spouses with a high potential for impact as demonstrated through a proven track record of leadership, the continued pursuit of education and the commitment of their resources to service beyond self,” according to the foundation’s website. The newly selected class will receive funding to pursue higher education and continue their service in the fields of health care, business, law, public service, STEM, education and the humanities.

Long, whose five siblings are all also veterans, was commissioned in the Marine Corps after earning a B.S. in political science from the U.S. Naval Academy. After two deployments as an infantry officer and platoon commander, he volunteered for recruiting duty at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, becoming deputy director of Marine Corps Recruiter School. He is also a volunteer with Service to School, a nonprofit that provides free college and grad school application counseling to veterans and service members.

“I’m definitely proud to be a Marine and always will be, but I’m mostly thankful for the people in and out of the organization who have been an example for me to follow,” Long said. “Those folks have had the greatest impact on my commitment to service.”

At the recruit depot, he connected three recruiters with the U.S. immigration office to help 14 applicants become Marines who otherwise may have been excluded because they didn’t have green cards.

“Anyone hoping to contribute to our country certainly deserves a chance to be an American,” Long said. “As a lawyer, I will especially help those interested in military and public service obtain lawful residency.”

At UVA Law, the Newnan, Georgia, native is president of Virginia Law Families, and a member of the Virginia Tax Review editorial board and of Virginia Law Veterans.

In addition to his bachelor’s, he earned an M.S. in accounting from Liberty University.

Long said he hopes to become a lawyer in Houston after graduating.

He is the second UVA Law student to receive the Tillman Scholarship, after Brian Wotring ’13.

The Tillman Foundation was created by family and friends of Pat Tillman, an NFL player who enlisted in the Army after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and was killed in Afghanistan in 2004.

Founded in 1819, the University of Virginia School of Law is the second-oldest continuously operating law school in the nation. Consistently ranked among the top law schools, Virginia is a world-renowned training ground for distinguished lawyers and public servants, instilling in them a commitment to leadership, integrity and community service.

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