Vivin Paliath is among 60 scholars recognized in the 10th class of Tillman Scholars for their service, leadership and potential.

All scholars will receive more than $1.3 million in scholarship funding to pursue higher education and continue their service in the fields of medicine, law, business, policy, technology, education and the arts.

Paliath immigrated to the U.S. in 1999 to pursue a degree in Computer Engineering from Arizona State University but instead, enlisted in the Arizona Army National Guard in 2000 so that his parents wouldn’t have to pay his tuition, according to the Tillman website.

While in the Army, Paliath learned the importance of teamwork and selfless service which instilled in him a sense of confidence and discipline and helped reify his innate sense of duty and honor.

After graduating in 2004, Paliath started his software engineering career, just to be deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom the next year and as a logistics and supplies specialist, he was responsible for the maintenance supply chain for his unit.

During his deployment, Paliath leveraged his software engineering skills and wrote custom software to streamline and automate motor-pool operations, for which he was awarded the Army Commendation Medal and when he returned home, he continued his software engineering career, finishing his military service in 2009.

While working full-time, Paliath pursued a Master’s in Computer Science program at Arizona State University in 2010 and graduated Summa Cum Laude in 2012.

Paliath is now pursuing a Computer Science Ph.D. with a focus on using Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning to address cybersecurity problems.

The Pat Tillman Foundation has invested more than $16 million in academic support, and named over 580 Tillman Scholars at over 100 academic institutions nationwide since 2009, according to a press release.

The foundation will convene the 2018 Pat Tillman Leadership Summit from July 19 to 22 in Chicago, which will bring Tillman Scholars from around the U.S. to address some of the toughest challenges impacting the country and their communities.