By Lester Williams Jr, Contributing Writer
Being in the military isn’t an easy profession, as soldiers must endure a strict world where they are challenged mentally and physically. Some military-connected students have to manage their courses and the life of a solider at the same time.
According to Community College of Baltimore County, a student can become military-connected in a variety of ways such as being a veteran or a dependent child or spouse. A student can also be a part of the United States Reserve, the National Guard, the marines, air force, coast guard, army, or navy in order to be military-connected.
Military-connected students experience two different worlds, which grants them the unique experience of being able to compare and contrast aspects of both the military and regular classes such as the environment, teaching methods, and the types of people you interact with.
“A crucial similarity that carries over from the Army days into college is meeting people from different walks of life, and then finding a common ground from which to work together towards success in a common goal,” said Jonathan Barnes, a Junior majoring in English who served in the army.
Of course, life in the military is made a lot more difficult, as soldiers are educated to handle dangerous tools, manage life or death situations, tolerate extreme conditions, potentially deal with traveling hundreds or even thousands of miles from home, and endure sights that the average person might not be able to.
“I served in the Navy for four years from 2015 to 2019. While I was in, my job was a Damage Controlman, which was basically a naval firefighter,” said Joshua Brink, a sophomore majoring in creative writing. “I fought fires, flooding, and toxic gases onboard the ship I was stationed on. Through my job, I got to travel around the world and see some amazing things.”
“If I had to compare my experiences in the military to be a student, I’d say it’s much more stressful in the military than being a student, being away from your family and not being able to communicate with them,” Brink added. “The education and the learning are similar with how much you learn, but the military has a more rushed learning at a fast pace.”
Saint Leo University claims that, as far back as the early 1970’s, the organization has “been a leading institution of higher education for military members seeking both traditional and online programs to help them attain a college degree and find gainful employment following their military service.”
Saint Leo has managed live up this claim due to benefits—like the Military Tuition Assistance, which grants financial support to students in the navy, coast guard, air force, army, and marines—as well as departments like office of Military Affairs and Services, which helps both active and veteran military students who want to continue their education.
In order to provide efficient support to military connected students, the department oversees their needs by dividing them into three major areas. The first major area is the students’ transition to Saint Leo. This area makes
use of the University’s resources to give students the financial support in order to make coming to Saint Leo as simple as possible.
The second area is reintegration from military to daily life on campus. In this area, military-connected students are mentored by a veteran who has already completed the transition phrase. The mentor will also be the student’s liaison, who will manage any communication needs.
The third and final area is academic, which branches off into other aspects such as tutoring, enrollment, and services for students, as well as the ability for students to become mentors that will help guide future military-connected students in areas of the university, like registration.
When going into military, it is necessary for solider to consider their future on and off the frontlines, which is why active and veteran members of the military should make their education a top priority. It is thanks to institutions like Saint Leo that students who are active in the military can purse degrees while also focusing on protecting their country.
