Eli Sinai said he plans to use the law to serve his fellow veterans.
Sinai, a third-year student at the University of Virginia School of Law, has the support of the Pat Tillman Foundation in his efforts. The foundation recently named Sinai as one of its 42 scholarship recipients for 2025.
The foundation was created in memory of Tillman, who in 2002 suspended a football career with the NFL’s Arizona Cardinals to join the U.S. Army. As an Army Ranger, Tillman served in Iraq and Afghanistan, where he died in a friendly fire incident.
Scholarships in his memory, available for military veterans, service members and spouses, include leadership training and networking opportunities.
“The scholarship is an opportunity to act on what I’ve strived for from the beginning,” Sinai said. “I came to law school hoping to meet like-minded scholar-veterans who share the same goal as me, which is to make an impact on veterans through the law. I’m honored to be joining this cohort of brilliant people.”
Selected from a competitive pool of applicants, the new scholars come from fields such as medicine, law, education, public policy, technology and the arts. Since its founding in 2004, the Tillman Foundation has awarded more than $40 million in academic scholarships and leadership development.
It became apparent to me that a career in the law was a great next chapter.
Sinai started college as a Naval ROTC midshipman at the University of Maryland, studying neurobiology and physiology. However, he soon realized he was no longer interested in a career in medicine and went in a completely different direction.
“Through NROTC, I realized that I had an opportunity to become a Navy pilot, something that I never envisioned for myself,” Sinai said. “It was a complete left turn that ended up being 10 years of my life. It’s one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.”
Sinai flew in some hot spot areas, such as the Strait of Hormuz, but is quick to mention that he was never fired upon. And as important as flying was, he knew it was a career that would not last forever. Having recently married, Sinai wanted a career that allowed him to settle into one place so he could support his wife’s career goals as well.
“I envisioned a career that’s lucrative and challenging, but more importantly, where I can help others,” Sinai said. “It became apparent to me that a career in the law was a great next chapter. So I started studying for the LSAT about halfway through my time in service, while I was a flight instructor on active duty.
