Continuing Education After Service in the Military

In 2020 most Americans understand the potential benefits of pursuing a higher education – everything from earning a larger salary, to higher potential for employment, a tendency for deeper involvement in civic activities and better overall health in part due to financial security. The list goes on and on and has continually been imprinted in our minds by politicians, primary education instructors, media outlets and the like. With it, higher education brings some appealing opportunities for young adults. Though higher education may not be for everyone, it certainly provides its own set of additional opportunities for veterans as they return home from service and begin to transition - and ultimately adjust - to civilian life.


It’s not just veterans that benefit from the institutions in which they enroll. Veterans serve as assets to the schools they attend, bringing with them a myriad of unparalleled experiences and unique leadership characteristics from their time in service. Though negative myths have continually been perpetuated casting veterans as underwhelming academic performers in comparison to their civilian peers, it is no surprise that an abundance of research indicates what many members of the military have figured all along – veterans excel in higher education classrooms and thrive in making the transition from the role of active duty service member to student. In fact, I would argue that pursuing an education can play a large role in a comfortable transition back into the civilian world.


The success and track record of student veterans underlines the need and importance of the $5 billion dollars in education benefits attributed to student veterans annually through the Department of Veterans Affairs’ G.I. Bill. Particularly in 2020, a year made tumultuous by the onset of the coronavirus pandemic which has affected our country’s higher education students in general, let alone the additional effects it has had on our student veterans.


In response to the extra difficulties placed on student veterans at this time, Congress extended a number of financial protections earlier this month that ensures the extension of work-study programs and leaves housing stipends unchanged. These are important steps in helping student veterans navigate these trying times. But even with these extensions, the G.I. Bill, which has benefitted nearly one million veterans in the past year, has historically not always relieved all of the costs associated with obtaining a degree. Textbooks, classroom fees, transportation, technology, tutoring and a number of other additional expenses come with higher education and are often not considered upfront when developing a general financial plan. This reality is only made more difficult for the many veterans who also work full or part-time to support their families and other financial obligations that are not typical of the average college student.



In response to these often difficult realities, a plethora of scholarship programs on both the local and national levels have formed to reduce the financial burdens that come with obtaining an education and make the transition into higher education easier for veterans. SoldierStrong, the nonprofit that I co-founded and serve as executive director for, is one such organization that provides scholarships through our SoldierScholar initiative. We assist veterans in taking an academic step into their future by filling in gaps left by the G.I. Bill. so that veterans can finish their college education in order to continue public service careers upon the conclusion of their military service. We are proud of the over $500,000 in scholarships we have been able to provide student veterans at Georgetown University, Old Dominion University and Syracuse University. We look forward to awarding more SoldierScholar scholarships this year to benefit veterans as they complete their academic journey.


U.S. Army veteran Edrena Roberts, a 2019 SoldierScholar recipient at Georgetown University, told me that receiving a SoldierScholar scholarship has given her “incredible peace of mind” and that it has helped make her “success a reality.” Roberts is currently receiving her Master of Professional Studies in Applied Intelligence and hopes to use her degree to someday work for the FBI as an analyst. It’s veterans like Roberts that prove why it is so important that organizations continue to provide access to higher education so that veterans can apply the leadership and problem-solving skills they developed in the military to their future careers, thus finding new ways to serve their communities and country.


To learn more about SoldierScholar, please visit us on the web: https://rly.pt/3jgonWL