Established in 1986, the Month of the Military Child is observed each April to honor and celebrate the children of service members from all branches of the Department of Defense.
Khloe Gage ’25, a military-connected student studying economics in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, is the daughter of Lt. Col. Kim Lee Gage, who served in the U.S. Army. She was also recently selected as the recipient of the James Lyons ’03 Sons and Daughters Memorial Scholarship.
Originally from Honolulu, Hawaii, Gage says she set her eyes on Syracuse University after visiting Central New York throughout her childhood. Her aunt was a professor at Ithaca College and the appeal of having family nearby was a strong influence for her to come to Syracuse.
The James Lyons ’03 Sons and Daughters Memorial Scholarship is named after Syracuse University alumnus 1st Lt. James Lyons, who graduated with an undergraduate degree in biochemistry. Lyons was killed in action in southern Baghdad during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2006 and is believed to be the first Syracuse University graduate killed in the conflict. His friends and family established the scholarship to provide aid for the children of fallen or disabled veterans.
“A few people from OVMA [the Office of Veteran and Military Affairs] reached out to me and asked me to lunch. At first I thought they were trying to enlist me or something, but then they offered me the Lyons Scholarship and, honestly, I found it surprising they chose me,” says Gage. “They just opened up a door that I definitely wouldn’t have even known about.”