When Connor Kouterick, a freshman at West Virginia University, saw a National Guard recruiting ad in his university dining hall, he was intrigued by the educational benefits.

“I had a good conversation with the recruiter,” he said. “I needed the funding, so I began to actively consider it.”

But concerns about deployment, conversations with family and a desire to pursue a different path led Kouterick to consider an alternative to military enlistment.

That path led him to the Peaceful Futures Scholarship, a scholarship awarded through Peaceful Options for Training and Careers (POTC).

POTC is a ministry project of Mennonite Church USA and Mennonite Central Committee. Its mission is to help young adults find viable and meaningful alternatives to military enlistment.

“POTC reflects our call as followers of Jesus to be peacemakers by providing information to young adults that allows them to seek vocations or educational opportunities that honor their decision not to enlist in the military,” said Lorraine Stutzman Amstutz, MC USA denominational minister for Peace and Justice.

Kouterick, of Quarryville, Pa., is pursuing a career goal of becoming a supply chain manager for a medical facility. Although military service seemed like one way to help pay for school, Kouterick was worried about the potential for deployment, which could interrupt his studies. His parents were also not in favor of the military option, prompting him to take time to think and pray about his choices.

Then, Kouterick received an email from a pastor friend who told him about the POTC scholarship and urged him to consider Jesus’ call to love our neighbors more deeply. The pastor was Joshua Nolt from the Lancaster (Pa.) Brethren in Christ Church. Nolt wrote, “This scholarship is a prophetic investment in the lives of young people – reminding them that choosing peace has tangible rewards.”

Kouterick decided to apply for the scholarship, writing that “I felt that God was calling me to pursue a different path . . . one that allows me to contribute to society in a way that promotes service, care and positive impact in my community. I know the POTC scholarship won’t equal what I could get from the National Guard, but I trust that God will look after me.”

POTC Steering Committee member Max Lewis said: “In these troubling times, if POTC is able to help even one person avoid taking a human life, or being killed or witnessing killing, our project will be successful.”

A scholarship supporting alternatives to military enlistment

For students weighing how to pay for education without military service, the Peaceful Futures Scholarship offers another option.

The Peaceful Futures Scholarship awards up to $10,000 over two years to young adults who choose college or vocational training instead of military enlistment, opening doors to meaningful, sustainable careers rooted in peace.

The scholarship can be used for trade or vocational school, job training or certification programs or college or university tuition. Applications for the 2027-28 academic year will be accepted Dec. 1, 2026, through Feb. 28, 2027.

Mennonite Church USA also appreciates donations to the Peaceful Futures Scholarship. With a limited-time matching gift pledge, every dollar donated in 2026 — up to $10,000 — will be matched, doubling the impact to a total of $20,000. Together, these funds will make it possible for two new students to receive scholarships in the next two years.