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The Enlisted Spouses Club awarded its first Spouses' Scholarship of Excellence to three women: Barbra Caulder, Stephanie Ladner and Janet LeRoux.

Each recipient represents what the ESC stands for - a commitment to community and education. While balancing the challenges of being a military wife and caretaker, these women still find time to give back to the military community and go to school to fulfill their dreams of higher education.

The awards were presented Oct. 17 at the Heritage Park Neighborhood Center. Part-time students received a $500 scholarship, while full-time students received a $1,000 scholarship.

Applications for the 2012-2013 academic year will be available July 2012.

To qualify for the Spouses' Scholarship Award of Excellence, applicants must be the spouse of an enlisted active-duty service member, Reservist, National Guardsman or retiree; reside in the Fort Meade area; and be a volunteer in the military community.

For more than 30 years, the ESC has been providing scholarships to the children of military families. This year, the ESC created a new scholarship program for spouses.

"Every day we endure struggles and obstacles, leaving us with difficult choices to be made," said Rachel Jamison, ESC president. "Education is a big role in this daily struggle. It is so hard to stay in school when your significant other is always on the move."

The ceremony was attended by the scholarship recipients and their family and friends; members of the ESC; Cathy Ferran, chief of Army Community Service; and Audrey Smith, advisor to the ESC and wife of Garrison Command Sgt. Maj. Charles E. Smith.

Smith congratulated scholarship recipients on their success and praised them for their motivation and dedication to higher education.

"The intimate location allowed us the opportunity to speak with each recipient," ESC member Joleen Mitchel said. "It meant a lot to us to see how much it meant to Janet, Barbra and Stephanie to receive this scholarship."

LeRoux, who has spent the last five years caring for her 100-year-old grandmother, is studying floral design at Anne Arundel Community College.

"I cannot thank the Enlisted Spouses Club enough for the support," she said. "The scholarship will give me the opportunity to pursue a field in which I am passionate about."

Caulder is pursuing her passion for dance at Anne Arundel Community College.

Ladner, a mother of two, is earning a bachelor's degree in business management at Averette University in Virginia.

"I wish to thank those who so generously made the Enlisted Spouses' Scholarship available to myself and other wives who have received this scholarship," Ladner said. "It was my honor to be the first to start a tradition, and I will forever be grateful."