Franklin Tech student earns $180K Marine Corps scholarship

MONTAGUE — Franklin County Technical School senior Carsten Couture has been awarded a $180,000 scholarship from the U.S. Marine Corps to help cover his educational costs at a Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps program at The Citadel in South Carolina.

The 17-year-old from Whately applied for the Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps (NROTC) program over the summer and was selected as one of 140 applicants to earn the competitive scholarship from the Marine Corps recruiting district that spans from northern Virginia to Maine. He joins three other honorees from Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island.

“It’s really cool, honestly,” Couture said after receiving the scholarship. “I didn’t know this was going to happen.”

Couture was joined by several of his family members, teachers, coaches, school administrators and representatives from the U.S. Marines as he was given the check inside the school’s Apprentice Restaurant.

Couture is an electrical student at Franklin Tech. He’s maintained a 4.0 grade point average in the four years he’s been at the school, excelling in academics with one of the highest SAT scores the school has seen. He’s a student athlete, having played football and run track, and is a captain on the wrestling team.

Couture said he feels that he’s learned to take every opportunity he can while being a student at Franklin Tech. These accomplishments have made him who he is today.

“I didn’t play really any sports in middle school,” he said. “I came here, I started three new sports, like football, wrestling, track, and all that turned me into who I am today.”

Between his academic and athletic accomplishments, as well as his participation with Civil Air Patrol, Couture was one of the most impressive candidates who applied for the scholarship, according to Marine Capt. Ben Wallace, who serves as executive officer of the Springfield Recruiting Station and scholarship manager.

Wallace explained that the Marine Corps is selective in choosing scholarship recipients. The Marine Corps assesses each candidate based on several characteristics in academic success, leadership qualities, personal experiences and physical aptitude.

“He was an applicant that just had great experiences throughout his life. A lot of sports, which builds his character and builds his leadership capabilities,” Wallace said, “and that’s really what ended up helping him stand apart, as well as just an awesome SAT score and GPA.”

Wallace also cited Couture’s service in the Civil Air Patrol, which is the civilian auxiliary branch of the U.S. Air Force, and his family background within the U.S. Marines through his father as highlights of leadership and personal experience.

Couture’s $180,000 scholarship will help cover his tuition at The Citadel, where he can train within the school’s Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps to then become a U.S. Marine Corps officer after graduation.

Meghan Ashman, Couture’s mother, said the dream of military service has been the goal for her son since he was a child, with military tradition in the family and having grown up for a time on a military base in North Carolina.

“Once he found out that he could go to college and be an officer, he’s like, ‘I’m gonna go do that,’” Ashman said. “He’s a driven kid, and I’m not saying this just because he’s my kid, but he’s one of the most driven and motivated kids.”

On top of the scholarship to The Citadel, Ashman said, Couture has also been accepted into the U.S. Naval Academy in Maryland and the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in New York.

Franklin Tech Superintendent Richard Martin feels similarly to Ashman. He said Couture is a special student for his academic prowess, but also for his work ethic.

Martin recalled how Couture has been able to balance his academics and athletics in a way that is “refreshing to see.” He also shared how Couture prepares for what is ahead of him, and how he’s the type of student to always reach the goals he sets for himself.

“He is the perfect vocational technical school student, as far as hard work ethic and vocation in the shop,” Martin said. “Everything is hard work and blue collar with him, and that makes us very, very proud.”

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