Boot camp-style program equips veterans for higher ed and beyond
Stephanie Ann PaunescuWhen Ryan Pavel didn’t get accepted to his college of choice at 17 years old, a Marine Corps recruiter redirected his life’s path.
“Instead of licking my wounds and just staying at home, I’m gonna go do something else,” Pavel thought at the time.
He went on to serve as a linguist and deploy twice to Iraq. His time as a Marine was formative in shaping his world view, and he knew that once he separated, he wanted to return to school “with a lot more focus, a lot more drive,” he said.
He did an online search for “Arabic, veterans and college,” a non-strategy he doesn’t recommend, but that led him to apply to the University of Michigan. His application was rejected.
“The difference was that, at that point, I had a lot more drive and I had grown,” Pavel said. “And so I called the admissions office.”
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Source: DAV News
Website: www.dav.org
