Service to School Stories

Whitney Cason, S2S Director of VetLink, takes the reins for a conversation with two of S2S's VetLink partners - Christina Moreland, Associate Director of Admissions and Coordinator of Pipeline Development at Dartmouth, and Evan Shoaf, Senior Assistant Dean of Admissions at Bowdoin. Whitney, Christina, and Evan discuss the unique challenges and opportunities for veteran applicants in the colleg...

Holden Lindblom joined us to share his inspiring journey from struggling in school to thriving at Stanford University. After serving as a forward observer in Afghanistan, he transitioned to academia. Holden discusses the challenges he faced during his military service, his motivation to succeed, and the importance of community college in preparing for top universities. He ultimately chose Stanford...

In this conversation, US Navy veteran Dan Chauvin shares his remarkable journey of resilience and determination in the face of rejection while applying to top MBA programs. Dan discusses his military background, the challenges he faced during the application process, and the importance of seeking help and support from others. He emphasizes the need to tell one's story authentically and the les...

In this podcast episode, Chris Cappy shares his unique journey from being an infantryman in the National Guard to pursuing a career in media and film. Chris reflects on the challenges he faced transitioning back to civilian life and education at NYU after deployment, the importance of storytelling, and the value of education in shaping his career. Chris takes shares his journey from film school to...

In this podcast episode, Nate Boyer shares his remarkable journey from Green Beret to playing college football at the University of Texas and briefly in the NFL. He discusses his unconventional path, the search for purpose that led him to volunteer in Darfur, and how that experience shaped his decision to join the Army and pursue a career in Special Forces. Nate also reflects on his transition to...

In this podcast episode, Dr. David Gioe shares his extensive background in intelligence and academia, discussing his journey from being an FBI intelligence analyst to a CIA case officer and ultimately a professor at King's College. He elaborates on the nuances of pursuing a PhD in the US versus the UK and offers valuable insights on crafting a competitive application for graduate programs. He...

In this podcast episode, Alex Dawson shares his journey from being a Navy Nuclear Service Warfare Officer to pursuing an MBA at the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business and preparing for a career in consulting at Bain & Company. He discusses the challenges and strategies involved in the MBA admissions process, particularly for veterans, and emphasizes the importance of test sco...

Surprise, it’s a bonus episode! Today’s guest is a S2S Applicant turned Ambassador and now S2S’s new Director of Alumni Programming, Jacob Ashton! Jacob joined us to chat about his experience in the military & transitioning to the classroom, including his relationships with professors, difference in military & academic leadership, challenges veterans face on campus, and overcoming life hur...

This week, we welcome S2S Applicant turned Ambassador, Zac Cobb to the podcast. Zac is a former USAF Pararescueman (PJ), UT Austin graduate, and current 1L law student at Yale Law School. Zac shares about his journey from college to the military and on to law school, dives deep into navigating law school admissions, the veteran community & culture at Yale Law School, tons of tips & advice for fell...

Today we are joined on the podcast by S2S’s Graduate Program Director, John Jasionowicz. In addition to supporting veteran applicants, John is a recent MBA graduate of Vanderbilt University Owen, an Army veteran, Bass Military Scholar, and currently pursuing a PhD candidacy. Join us as John shares about his journey in academics, the differences between applying for an MBA and PhD, insights on usin...

Today we are joined by Service to School applicant, Justin Cole. Justin is a veteran of the US Air Force, transfer student, and current student at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Justin jumps right with us about how life experiences during his military service drove a passion that led him to higher education. We chat about transitioning to campus, adjusting to the change in academic r...

In today’s episode, we sat down for a conversation with a Service to School applicant turned Ambassador, James Schlabach. James is a US Marine Corps veteran and current medical student at the University of Michigan. We dive right in to chat all about medical school from articulating your “why” to attending a Post-Bacc program, what med school experiences are available to preparing for residency, a...

Today we are joined by Service to School veteran applicant, Liam Fangman. Liam is a US Air Force veteran, current MBA student at University of Notre Dame Mendoza College of Business, and co-founder of Enlisted ExFil. Liam brings his experience in the military that led to his decision to pursue an MBA, preparing for admissions, navigating & prioritizing campus opportunities, a passion for givin...

On today’s episode, we have a fantastic conversation with Service to School applicant & Ambassador, Ed Somuk. Ed is a retired US Marine Corps veteran & current student at Harvard University. We dive into applying to college after retiring from a full military career, deciding to start college as a 1st year freshman vs. later year transfer student, balancing college life with a family, the...

This week on the podcast we are diving into the medical school experience for veterans. We’re joined by Karyna Bravo, US Marine Corps veteran, first generation college student, current Physician Assistant (PA) student at Stanford Medical School, and 2024 Tillman Scholar. We discuss the benefits of shadowing providers in the admissions process, Post-Bacc program benefits, funding a medical educatio...

We are heading to law school on today’s podcast interview! Joining us today is David Heider, US Naval Academy graduate, former US Navy aviator, incoming 2L at William & Mary Law School, and S2S Ambassador for both undergraduate and law applicants. David shares his law school application experiences, from taking the LSAT on a tight timeline to advocating for himself with admissions, the influen...

We’re diving into business school today with S2S applicant Jasen Baker! Jasen is many things including a former US Army Special Forces medical sergeant, current student at Harvard Business School, Veteran mentor, husband, father, and more. Jasen shares about his experience being involuntarily medically separated from the military, navigating the MBA admissions process, life at business school with...

Today’s episode kicks off Season 5 & introduces listeners to Kate Ruelan. Kate is a US Marine Corps veteran, first generation college student, and current student at Cornell University. We talk about Kate’s transition from the military to working full time in electronics manufacturing, deciding to leave her job to pursue education full time, her experiences navigating the admissions process, d...

On today’s episode, we welcome the Director of Student Success at S2S, Annie Behari. Annie has more than a decade of experience working in higher education. After earning her Masters in Higher Education at Harvard University, she began her career as an Assistant Director of Admissions at Lafayette College & then at Johns Hopkins University in Maryland, and most recently a college counselor, he...

Today’s episode explores the student veteran campus experience at the University of Notre Dame. We sat down with the Director & Assistant Director respectively in the Office of Military & Veterans Affairs,Ken Heckel & Michael Labbe, as well as Undergraduate Admissions Counselor, Montanna Kirven, and current ND senior, John Noonan. We chat about the admissions process at Notre Dame, fir...

Today’s episode introduces listeners to the world of small business with guest Amanda Robbins. Amanda is a Navy submarine veteran, a 4th generation Naval Academy graduate, executive MBA student at The Wharton School, and current Sr. VP & CFO at Solar Technology. We talk about Amanda’s transition from the military to working full time while working toward an MBA, leveraging military skills work...

We are heading to law school & beyond on today’s podcast interview! Joining us today is Nathan Lowry, Cornell graduate, former US Marine Corps ground intelligence officer, current student at Harvard Law & co-director of S2S’s JD Law team. Nathan shares his experiences building his target list for applying to law school, exploring possible areas of law to pursue, establishing relationships...

Jump in to service & scholarship with us on today’s podcast interview! We welcome Bob Atkinson, accomplished US Air Force veteran, current senior at Yale University, and named both a Marshall & Truman Scholar. Bob brings his experience in the military & at Yale to discuss overcoming obstacles throughout his life that fueled a passion for service, as well as the opportunities he created...

We are joined today for a discussion about preparing student veterans for their future careers at University of South Carolina (USC) with Villardine Goode. Villardine is a retired Army MSgt now serving as the Veterans and Military Academic Success Coach at USC. Villardine shares her experience providing guidance & information to military service members & veterans as they prepare to enroll...

This week on the podcast we are diving into pathways to medical school for veterans. We’re joined by Peter Campbell, James White, and Jamie Frost of MedVets, a peer mentorship program focused on helping veterans who are interested in physicians associate & nursing programs as well as medical school. We discuss opportunities to strengthen your medical school applications, MCAT preparation &...