Tell us about your military service. What did you do? Where did you serve? What do you value the most about your military service?
I served primarily as a Reconnaissance Officer for 10 years. I was a platoon leader and executive officer in the 2nd Infantry Division at Joint Base Lewis-McCord, WA. From there I spent two years as a student in the Special Forces Qualification Course at Fort Liberty, NC. I was not selected to continue in Special Forces, but spent the last three years of my career as an assistant operations officer and then a squadron operations officer in the 4th Infantry Division at Fort Carson, CO. The people I have had the opportunity to work with are what I value most about my service. Whether it was someone I was able to help or someone who was able to help me, I have had the opportunity to meet and work with some incredible individuals and teams.
What are your thoughts on mentoring other students while at Vanderbilt? As a role model, what values do you want to share?
Mentoring other students is one of the aspects of my time at Vanderbilt that I am most excited about. There are aspects of my life that I feel can help other students, just as they have experiences that can help me. The best part about being at a school like Vanderbilt is that working together to lift everyone up is so highly valued, so you rarely feel like a burden when asking someone to help you, which in turn makes you not feel burdened when someone needs your help. Having a unique background compared to many students at Vanderbilt, my goal is to be an example of how to uphold the values of respect, selfless service, and personal courage.
While at Vanderbilt, what will be the focus of your studies and how do you plan to use this knowledge in your future career?
My focus will be on attaining my MBA with a focus in Corporate Finance, Operations, and Strategy. My goal is to use this knowledge to spend time in many different facets of successful companies, ideally contributing something of value while also learning what systems and processes work and do not work. My ultimate goal is to use what I learn in the corporate sector to start a successful non-profit organization focused on providing engaging content on financial literacy to young adults.
What would you tell other veterans about the Bass Military Scholars Program?
The Bass Military Scholars Program is so much more than just a check every semester. The real value is in the people that you surround yourself with, from the leadership, the other scholars, and the people you meet through the service opportunities. One of the aspects of being in the military I valued most was the camaraderie and the focus everyone had on something greater than themselves. Through the Bass Military Scholars program, I have found a cohort of like-minded individuals that challenge me every day to be the best version of myself, inside and outside of the classroom, as well as an opportunity to continue to serve my community in ways I never thought of.