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From Military to Meaning: Rebuilding Identity, Purpose, and Direction After Service with Kaedy Molley · Your Thoughts Your Reality

• 0:35
  SPEAKER_00: Let's uncover the strength within you to re-engage your families and society supporting a new fast forward.
• 0:46
  SPEAKER_02: Hello, hello, hello.
• 0:48
  SPEAKER_02: So today we have a very special guest.
• 0:51
  SPEAKER_02: Super excited to talk and play with Katie Molly.
• 0:54
  SPEAKER_02: Katie is a former U.S.
• 0:55
  SPEAKER_02: Navy linguist and air crewman with 10 years of service, bringing unique perspective on both intelligence and operational environments.
• 1:03
  SPEAKER_02: Transition from the military service to a higher education at the University of Chicago, navigating one of the most challenging identity shifts veteran space.
• 1:11
  SPEAKER_02: And we're going to talk a lot about that today.
• 1:13
  SPEAKER_02: So that transition, who we are, and so on.
• 1:16
  SPEAKER_02: Super excited about that.
• 1:17
  SPEAKER_02: She actively is involved with Warrior Scholar Project, supporting veterans in their academic and personal reintegration journal journeys.
• 1:25
  SPEAKER_02: And again, we're going to talk a lot about that.
• 1:27
  SPEAKER_02: We were just talking, you know, off offset here.
• 1:29
  SPEAKER_02: And it's an amazing program they're doing.
• 1:32
  SPEAKER_02: So I'm I'm really excited to dive into that.
• 1:34
  SPEAKER_02: And then she's a powerful voice for silent wars of identity, direction, and community that many veterans experience but rarely talk about openly.
• 1:43
  SPEAKER_02: And we all know that's that's the truth.
• 1:44
  SPEAKER_02: So I'm Katie.
• 1:45
  SPEAKER_02: With that said, welcome.
• 1:47
  SPEAKER_02: And why don't you tell us a little bit more about yourself?
• 1:50
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, thanks so much for having me, Mike.
• 1:52
  SPEAKER_01: I'm really excited to be chatting with you today about my journey and about the incredible work we're doing at Warrior Scholar Project.
• 1:58
  SPEAKER_01: So I'll try to give you the quickest version of who's Katie.
• 2:01
  SPEAKER_01: I grew up in Huntsville, Alabama, so the deep south.
• 2:05
  SPEAKER_01: And I was never very studious.
• 2:07
  SPEAKER_01: I was really great at sports, you know, all about the social life, all that great fun stuff that's part of growing up.
• 2:13
  SPEAKER_01: But I never focused too hard on my academics.
• 2:16
  SPEAKER_01: I've got two brothers.
• 2:17
  SPEAKER_01: My dad was in the Navy for 30 years.
• 2:20
  SPEAKER_01: He was an officer who worked in Intel.
• 2:22
  SPEAKER_01: He did the Intel community for 20 years on reserve and 10 years as a service warfare officer active.
• 2:30
  SPEAKER_01: So lots of, you know, great early exposure to military service.
• 2:34
  SPEAKER_01: After high school, I went to Auburn University, a great SEC school, as any Southern woman is supposed to consider.
• 2:41
  SPEAKER_01: And I just was not emotionally mature enough at the time to succeed academically.
• 2:46
  SPEAKER_01: So I kind of partied a little too much and made some not great decisions and ended up heading back home to live with my parents and work odds and ends jobs in retail for a little while there and then became a luxury beauty makeup artist and did that for about seven years.
• 3:02
  SPEAKER_01: And that took me out, you know, to Denver, Colorado.
• 3:04
  SPEAKER_01: I was living, working, having fun.
• 3:06
  SPEAKER_01: And then the great financial crisis happened in 2008, and I lost my job in retail.
• 3:11
  SPEAKER_01: I was just struggling to make ends meet.
• 3:13
  SPEAKER_01: I had no education, no real access to anything, no health insurance.
• 3:17
  SPEAKER_01: And I thought I've got to do something for myself to better my circumstances.
• 3:22
  SPEAKER_01: So I walked into a Navy recruiter's office, and the rest is history as far as uh Navy goes.
• 3:28
  SPEAKER_02: Awesome.
• 3:29
  SPEAKER_02: So, you know, I it's so funny because, well, first of all, my wife's in Colorado, just so you know.
• 3:34
  SPEAKER_02: So maybe you guys met each other at some point, but the the the story is, you know, it's it's not it's growing up, right?
• 3:43
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, that's the reality of it.
• 3:45
  SPEAKER_02: And then the military, would you say, just kind of made that happen faster?
• 3:49
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
• 3:50
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 3:50
  SPEAKER_01: Going into the military helped me grow up very quickly.
• 3:54
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, I joined when I was a little bit older because I had had, you know, years of work experience before that.
• 3:58
  SPEAKER_01: So I was 25 when I went to boot camp.
• 4:00
  SPEAKER_01: But the discipline, the external mechanisms of discipline were massively helpful for someone like me who tends to be a little bit ADD, if you will.
• 4:09
  SPEAKER_01: I go on a lot of little side quests.
• 4:11
  SPEAKER_01: So having those mechanisms in place to make me stay focused was incredible.
• 4:15
  SPEAKER_01: Also, working alongside a team every step of the way, every bit of your military experience is working with others, learning how to collaborate, learning how to follow and how to lead.
• 4:25
  SPEAKER_01: And so all of those things, along with the sense of adventure that comes with being able to deploy and travel and learn about other ways of being in the world, were just invaluable for me when it came to growing up and maturing a bit.
• 4:38
  SPEAKER_02: Fantastic.
• 4:38
  SPEAKER_02: And and I I want to sidetrack just for a second.
• 4:43
  SPEAKER_02: I told you we would barely go through the actual questions.
• 4:46
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 4:47
  SPEAKER_02: So what would you say when you're transitioning out, when realizing the skills, because obviously you you you did the skills that you learned in the military, what were some of the most valuable skills that you use from the military that you use during transition, especially today?
• 5:03
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, this is such a great question because this applies to absolutely every every service member who decides to get out at some point, or even once you retire, right?
• 5:12
  SPEAKER_01: So for me, I think being able to adapt, adaptability became a core characteristic of who I am.
• 5:19
  SPEAKER_01: And that has helped me on every step of my journey since I transitioned out of the military, whether it's higher ed or joining social clubs or big life changes.
• 5:29
  SPEAKER_01: You know, I've gone through things like divorce, I've relocated, I've taken career pivots, and all of those moments required that I just be a little bit more flexible and adapt and have an understanding that if I can get through the things I got through in the military, which were often very challenging, I can get through anything.
• 5:48
  SPEAKER_01: So adaptability was a big one.
• 5:50
  SPEAKER_01: Obviously, the ability to work on a team, both as a follower and a leader, is immense.
• 5:55
  SPEAKER_01: And that helped me really see the different kinds of skills and qualities that the people we work with can bring to the table and learning how to best utilize each person's niche set of skills to accomplish goals.
• 6:07
  SPEAKER_01: And that obviously helps in any organization you're going to be a part of, whether it's sports or career, any industry.
• 6:14
  SPEAKER_01: So mark adaptability.
• 6:16
  SPEAKER_01: And I like to think that I've become pretty fearless as a result of my time in the military.
• 6:21
  SPEAKER_01: There's a lot of trainings.
• 6:23
  SPEAKER_01: I've been through three different survival schools, and those were, you know, daunting going in, but I made it through those and learned a lot.
• 6:29
  SPEAKER_01: I've been on deployments to Afghanistan and the Mediterranean.
• 6:31
  SPEAKER_01: I've gone through air crew school.
• 6:33
  SPEAKER_01: I've done a lot of different things that I never would have stepped up to the plate and said, Yeah, I'm willing to take that on.
• 6:39
  SPEAKER_01: But that's kind of the nature of the military.
• 6:41
  SPEAKER_01: So being fearless is also something I got out of the military.
• 6:45
  SPEAKER_02: Absolutely love it.
• 6:46
  SPEAKER_02: Absolutely love it.
• 6:47
  SPEAKER_02: I always try to bring that to life, right?
• 6:50
  SPEAKER_02: Especially during that transition period where people sometimes, after the honeymoon period, you know, there's that I'm out of the military and woo-hoo, and then all of a sudden life life be life, and as Les Brown says, And then and then it changes.
• 7:01
  SPEAKER_02: And so I just always bring that up.
• 7:06
  SPEAKER_02: Hey, you have these skills that other people don't.
• 7:09
  SPEAKER_02: You you you just re-remember, if you will, remember and bring it back into yourself, those kinds of things.
• 7:16
  SPEAKER_02: So thank you for sharing that.
• 7:18
  SPEAKER_02: It's really, really important.
• 7:19
  SPEAKER_02: So I think so.
• 7:20
  SPEAKER_02: So when you first took off the uniform, what was the first moment you realized I'm not sure who I am right now?
• 7:27
  SPEAKER_02: Who who am I going to be even maybe?
• 7:30
  SPEAKER_01: That's an exceptional question.
• 7:32
  SPEAKER_01: And honestly, I think I started asking those questions in during my transition, right?
• 7:36
  SPEAKER_01: In the years approaching, knowing I was going to be getting out of the military and making a big life change.
• 7:42
  SPEAKER_01: So I started thinking about I'm going to be a student, I'm going to be a non-traditional student, I'm going to be an older non-traditional student, I'm going to be a disabled veteran, I'm going to be all these different things, you know, a woman navigating her way through society.
• 7:56
  SPEAKER_01: And so I don't know if there was one moment where I really sat back and realized, wow, like things are so different.
• 8:04
  SPEAKER_01: It was something that was always in my mind.
• 8:06
  SPEAKER_01: You know, I was fortunate that in my transition I had been really well, well prepared.
• 8:10
  SPEAKER_01: I have this deep curiosity to try to understand things, analyze them.
• 8:14
  SPEAKER_01: So I had done a lot of research on different programs and resources.
• 8:18
  SPEAKER_01: So going into higher ed happened for me immediately after service.
• 8:23
  SPEAKER_01: I think while I was on terminal leave, I was doing a college preparation course as part of entering the University of Chicago with a cohort of undergrad veterans.
• 8:33
  SPEAKER_01: We were the first ever cohort of enlisted undergrad veterans at the University of Chicago.
• 8:38
  SPEAKER_01: So I do remember, I guess, if I have to give you one moment, being in a math class that first year of college at the University of Chicago, and they're drawing like fish symbols on the board, you know, like an infinity sign or whatever.
• 8:51
  SPEAKER_01: And I'm like, what is going on here?
• 8:53
  SPEAKER_01: I have not done math like this in forever.
• 8:55
  SPEAKER_01: You know, I had done some community college courses, but not that level of math.
• 8:59
  SPEAKER_01: And I remember kind of looking around the room and looking at these students who are exceptional young people who had gotten into one of the toughest schools in the world with like a 5% acceptance rate.
• 9:08
  SPEAKER_01: So they had already done so many things right that I felt I had done wrong, so to speak.
• 9:14
  SPEAKER_01: And I remember feeling like, hey, I'm a 36-year-old woman sitting in this room with 18-year-olds.
• 9:19
  SPEAKER_01: This is odd.
• 9:20
  SPEAKER_01: You know, my identity is definitely very different in this space.
• 9:26
  SPEAKER_01: But I, you know, raised my hand and said, excuse me, I'm a little bit lost.
• 9:30
  SPEAKER_01: Can you explain why you do that on the board?
• 9:31
  SPEAKER_01: And I need a little more explanation to be able to learn this material.
• 9:34
  SPEAKER_01: And that became a moment that really pivoted things for me because some of the other students were like, I am so glad you asked that.
• 9:41
  SPEAKER_01: I've been lost for days.
• 9:43
  SPEAKER_01: And it really started helping me form friendships with people in the civilian space that were very different from myself, different points in life.
• 9:51
  SPEAKER_01: And that was a key turning point for me, realizing how different I was, but also realizing how those differences didn't mean I was going to be alienated or left on the outskirts of social engagement.
• 10:02
  SPEAKER_01: It was pretty awesome.
• 10:04
  SPEAKER_02: That is fantastic.
• 10:05
  SPEAKER_02: And you know, it's you're a trailblazer.
• 10:08
  SPEAKER_02: I'm just going to start with that, right?
• 10:09
  SPEAKER_01: So Hey, it's that fearlessness we talked about, you know, the military.
• 10:13
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it's like, I'll try it.
• 10:15
  SPEAKER_01: You know, how it can't be worse than what I did in the military.
• 10:18
  SPEAKER_01: So raise your hand and give it a shot.
• 10:19
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 10:20
  SPEAKER_02: Leaders go first.
• 10:21
  SPEAKER_02: I'm just saying, leaders go first.
• 10:22
  SPEAKER_02: So with that said, you know, it's so funny you brought up that about the question, because there's so often that I'm I'm doing something or in a training or you know, working with the neuron coding institute or whatever the case may be.
• 10:36
  SPEAKER_02: And you're you're everybody's quiet, and you know, you ask a question, and then all of a sudden you just hear and see everybody going, my goodness, I've been stuck there too, right?
• 10:46
  SPEAKER_02: So it's it's when you step up and you you ask a simple question or like that, it's it's crazy how many other people you actually help when you think you're just helping yourself.
• 10:55
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
• 10:56
  SPEAKER_01: I think it's uh it goes back to the word vulnerability.
• 10:59
  SPEAKER_01: If you're willing to be vulnerable in front of other people, then they're gonna be vulnerable back.
• 11:05
  SPEAKER_01: And then it creates a space for really authentic and meaningful human connection.
• 11:10
  SPEAKER_01: And so being the first to try something, if it means other people will become more comfortable or more willing to try it or feel more included, is always something I'm I I take pleasure in stepping up to be able to enable that.
• 11:22
  SPEAKER_02: Absolutely.
• 11:22
  SPEAKER_02: Love it.
• 11:23
  SPEAKER_02: Um, so what when you stepped out of the structure of military, and this is just kind of a side thing.
• 11:30
  SPEAKER_02: If you if you when you stepped out, going back to kind of transition, if you will, the what what was your experience of okay, I'm I've been through this structure, military, been there for 10 years, I'm stepping out, then the civilian world is different.
• 11:46
  SPEAKER_02: And I know a lot of veterans see this, struggle with this, whatever the case may be.
• 11:50
  SPEAKER_02: And what was your experience and how did you move through that?
• 11:55
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, another God, you've just got banger question after banger question here, Mike.
• 11:59
  SPEAKER_02: I'll make a music later, like, what do you have for breakfast?
• 12:02
  SPEAKER_02: Don't worry.
• 12:02
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah.
• 12:03
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 12:05
  SPEAKER_01: So, okay, sorry, I just kind of lost my train of thought.
• 12:07
  SPEAKER_01: I was so busy thinking about how good the question was.
• 12:09
  SPEAKER_01: I forgot the question.
• 12:10
  SPEAKER_01: So give me the last bit of it.
• 12:11
  SPEAKER_02: One more question.
• 12:12
  SPEAKER_02: Um during the transition, going from structured uh military to civilian morning.
• 12:17
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 12:17
  SPEAKER_01: So as I said earlier, structure is something the military gave me, right?
• 12:22
  SPEAKER_01: I didn't have it innately.
• 12:23
  SPEAKER_01: I'm not one of those people who's ultra-organized or great at organizing their calendar and time management and all of that stuff.
• 12:30
  SPEAKER_01: So getting to learn about those skills and really practice them every day in the military was huge.
• 12:36
  SPEAKER_01: So when I found myself on the other side of that, left up to my own devices again, if you will, I was surprised to find how much I held on to from the structure of the military.
• 12:46
  SPEAKER_01: But also there were definitely challenging moments where I felt overwhelmed and there was no one saying, well, here's what you got to get up and do anyway, or here's this or that.
• 12:54
  SPEAKER_01: So there were definitely challenging moments where I had to sort of self-reflect and say, you need to be better about, you know, showing up for this at this point in this way.
• 13:05
  SPEAKER_01: Just reminding myself that there was no one there kind of externally making sure I was gonna do the things I needed to do when I needed to do them.
• 13:13
  SPEAKER_01: And I think a big thing that helped me with that was other people, building communities where you have accountability amongst others, even if it just means showing up to the gym with a buddy or setting up an appointment for office hours in college, right?
• 13:29
  SPEAKER_01: Like you've got to show up, talk to the professor, and it's a perfect time to ask all those questions and connect better.
• 13:35
  SPEAKER_01: So I think there's a lot of great resources to use, but I I had a little bit of struggle at times, but overall, the structure I had in the military was super helpful for me in the civilian side of things without the external controls, so to speak.
• 13:50
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 13:50
  SPEAKER_02: And it is uh, you know, I and I think everybody's journey in that is is different.
• 13:54
  SPEAKER_02: The stories are different, the patterns are generally similar, you know, that I've found.
• 13:58
  SPEAKER_02: So it's it's I just always want to get feedback and and thoughts on how you kind of played with that, dealt with it, overcame that is the word I'm really looking for.
• 14:11
  SPEAKER_02: So I think I think it's it's fantastic.
• 14:13
  SPEAKER_02: You just went back to a lot of the resources and things you have.
• 14:15
  SPEAKER_01: So yeah, and honestly, we didn't have some of these resources in the military, but there's so many nonprofit organizations like the one I work for that are willing to help you with any kinds of skills you need help with.
• 14:26
  SPEAKER_01: The VA offers great programming.
• 14:27
  SPEAKER_01: There's uh, you know, the Sea of Goodwill is like 40,000 veteran service organizations in the United States.
• 14:33
  SPEAKER_01: So if you need help with time management, creating a business, mental health, you and I were talking about equine therapy.
• 14:40
  SPEAKER_01: There's so many different resources out there.
• 14:43
  SPEAKER_01: Once you're on the veteran side of things, that can really help you when you're losing bits of the structure or you feel like you're losing control or losing your way.
• 14:52
  SPEAKER_01: There's just a lot of amazing folks out there willing to help you get back on track.
• 14:57
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, absolutely.
• 14:58
  SPEAKER_02: You know, it's it's uh it's got no call them god bumps.
• 15:02
  SPEAKER_02: My friend Michelle Green taught me they're god bumps, they're not goosebumps.
• 15:06
  SPEAKER_02: I love that.
• 15:07
  SPEAKER_02: It's important, yeah.
• 15:08
  SPEAKER_02: So do I.
• 15:08
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, it's it's it's really fantastic how things are different now.
• 15:12
  SPEAKER_02: And thank thank you, God, for that.
• 15:15
  SPEAKER_02: You know, uh there's still gaps, right?
• 15:17
  SPEAKER_02: And that's why we're doing what we're doing, because there's still gaps, and and you gotta get people further faster.
• 15:22
  SPEAKER_02: So amen.
• 15:23
  SPEAKER_02: I I I you you started bringing up, and that's the next segment I was gonna start going into is the company that you know you you work with, the Warrior Scholar Project.
• 15:33
  SPEAKER_02: So tell us a little bit more about that.
• 15:37
  SPEAKER_02: Let's start with what it is, and then we'll talk about how you find out more, how you get into the program, those kinds of things, because it's absolutely fantastic, guys.
• 15:46
  SPEAKER_02: I can't so excited for everybody to hear this.
• 15:49
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and I it's something that I'm truly a fangirl of because I'm a product of the Warrior Scholar Project, and I'll tell you more about that.
• 15:57
  SPEAKER_01: But in a nutshell, Warrior Scholar Project is a 501c3 nonprofit.
• 16:01
  SPEAKER_01: We've been around for 15 years.
• 16:02
  SPEAKER_01: This is our 15th anniversary, so 15 years of doing our mission, which is we provide programming for enlisted veterans or transitioning service members, and we focus on the enlisted population.
• 16:16
  SPEAKER_01: And for anyone listening who's not familiar, enlisted folks are going to be the ones who just don't have education going in, walk into a recruiter's office, or are recruited through high school, or there's any number of mechanisms you end up enlisting.
• 16:28
  SPEAKER_01: But often you find people from various walks of life, people who lack access to socioeconomic opportunity, people who are patriotic, people who really want to challenge themselves.
• 16:37
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, you get so many reasons why people join.
• 16:39
  SPEAKER_01: But enlisted folks don't have a degree going in, and that's why we're focusing on the enlisted population.
• 16:44
  SPEAKER_01: I was enlisted.
• 16:45
  SPEAKER_01: And we partner with incredible institutions.
• 16:48
  SPEAKER_01: We have host campuses that are, I mean, we've got, you know, Caltech, Cornell, Columbia, Brown, Loyal, Harvard, University of Chicago.
• 16:57
  SPEAKER_01: I could go on and on, and we get we change our partner schools every so often, we add new ones.
• 17:01
  SPEAKER_01: But we host academic boot camps on these campuses during the summer, where we've got professors from these institutions dedicating their time to teaching and doing lectures, and we offer STEM programming, business programming, and like a core humanities type programming where you're doing reading and writing critical thought papers and having discussions.
• 17:23
  SPEAKER_01: And so the goal of our organization is to take these enlisted vets who may be thinking about higher ed or maybe are unsure that they can succeed in higher ed.
• 17:31
  SPEAKER_01: And we're giving you a week-long sort of crash course in what it's like to be a college student, but you're surrounded by other amazing enlisted veterans who are pursuing the same kinds of goals.
• 17:40
  SPEAKER_01: We've also got alumni fellows who are folks who have completed our programming who can come back during the summer as like an internship, or you know, if they're not sure what job they're gonna do yet, they will come back and go to the different campuses for our programming and pay it forward.
• 17:55
  SPEAKER_01: And they serve as an amazing model of what you can do.
• 17:59
  SPEAKER_01: So, my fellows, when I attended the program in 2017, were going to Stanford and Notre Dame.
• 18:05
  SPEAKER_01: And I was like, these enlisted vets are going to Stanford and Notre Dame, and there's ones at Harvard, like what?
• 18:11
  SPEAKER_01: And it really lit a fire under me.
• 18:13
  SPEAKER_01: And I felt so alive that week I was doing the course because I was reading, my brain was going, I was having critical discussions, thinking about civic engagement, thinking about the moral implications of my service.
• 18:24
  SPEAKER_01: And so we're really giving you this gift of empowerment through confidence, community building, and also, you know, the academic skills that you might need to succeed.
• 18:34
  SPEAKER_01: We talk about resources on campus.
• 18:36
  SPEAKER_01: It's free for our participants, but but we do rely on donations because we are a nonprofit.
• 18:41
  SPEAKER_01: And it's not cheap to put people up in the dorms and and feed them in the dining halls, but it's worth it because we're changing socioeconomic outcomes for enlisted veterans who often come from places that don't offer you know upward socioeconomic mobility.
• 18:57
  SPEAKER_01: And the way we're doing that is through the power of education.
• 19:01
  SPEAKER_02: So so fantastic.
• 19:02
  SPEAKER_02: So when when you when you talk about the life trajectory change because of this program, let's let's start with how did it affect you?
• 19:15
  SPEAKER_02: And then let's because I know you're in the program or working, you know, with the with the program.
• 19:20
  SPEAKER_02: What are some of the major changes that you've seen with other people as well?
• 19:24
  SPEAKER_02: So let's start with you.
• 19:26
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I this is why I came back to work for Warrior Scholar Project full-time, because it was a week that changed my whole life.
• 19:33
  SPEAKER_01: So I was two years out from separating and I found out about it from a Facebook post.
• 19:38
  SPEAKER_01: I was like, what is the Warrior Scholar Project?
• 19:40
  SPEAKER_01: Did a little perusing and was like, oh my gosh, their applications just closed.
• 19:44
  SPEAKER_01: But if I apply, I can go in the next couple months and try this out because it's it's literally just a shot you can take.
• 19:51
  SPEAKER_01: I I've said this on other podcasts before, but you miss 100% of the shots you don't take.
• 19:56
  SPEAKER_01: And it's low stakes.
• 19:57
  SPEAKER_01: It's you showing yourself the potential that you have and that you shouldn't have imposter syndrome when it comes to academics.
• 20:05
  SPEAKER_01: So I did that week-long program, and I remember a salient moment for me where I was, it was lunchtime, and we had a lot of reading assignments, and I was spending part of my lunch on the quad at Syracuse University, this beautiful, bright green, perfectly manicured quad lawn with the old brick buildings and the trees.
• 20:22
  SPEAKER_01: And I, you know, I had a nice week off of military service to come do this.
• 20:26
  SPEAKER_01: I took leave to do it.
• 20:27
  SPEAKER_01: And I'm reading Alexis de Tocqueville's Democracy in America, and I'm thinking about my deployments and I'm thinking about the junior sailors at the time that I was instructing.
• 20:35
  SPEAKER_01: And I felt so alive.
• 20:38
  SPEAKER_01: I just felt this like buzzy, effervescent energy in my soul to learn more and really expand my intellectual horizons.
• 20:46
  SPEAKER_01: And so I went back from that week and was still on active duty for two more years, but I enrolled in community college classes.
• 20:52
  SPEAKER_01: So, like one or two here and there, whenever I could fit them in using tuition assistance, so that I got a little bit of my feet under me a little bit more when it came to actually utilizing the skills I'd learned in the course.
• 21:03
  SPEAKER_01: And it gave me a nice transcript for when I was going to be applying to transfer schools later on.
• 21:09
  SPEAKER_01: But I ended up getting out of the military and becoming the first female member of the inaugural undergraduate cohort of veterans at the University of Chicago.
• 21:20
  SPEAKER_01: And I'm talking one of the best schools in the world.
• 21:21
  SPEAKER_01: It's bonkers.
• 21:22
  SPEAKER_01: I never could have thought I would go to a school like that.
• 21:25
  SPEAKER_01: But because Warrior Scholar Project had taught me not only that I have the potential, I have the ability, the capability to succeed on campus, but they also gave me the academic tools, the sense of community and understanding how to use all my resources.
• 21:38
  SPEAKER_01: So when I got to the University of Chicago, even though I was the oldest undergrad there for the four years I was there, a female disabled veteran who was, you know, a woman living in the suburbs with a husband at the time.
• 21:51
  SPEAKER_01: Like I was just a standout, like non traditional in every possible way.
• 21:55
  SPEAKER_01: But we had also we had also talked about campus assimilation and identity.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_01: During the Warrior Scholar Project course.
• 22:02
  SPEAKER_01: So I was reminded of I really remember, like when I was in that math class, for example, I told you thinking about how I didn't want to be that veteran who only held on to their veteran identity.
• 22:14
  SPEAKER_01: I had learned in our courses that there's so much more to you.
• 22:17
  SPEAKER_01: And college is really a place to explore that.
• 22:19
  SPEAKER_01: Education gives you the opportunity to learn different facets of yourself and really be open to discussing the experiences of others, most importantly.
• 22:28
  SPEAKER_01: So I went into my college experience with a very open mind, an open heart, and a willingness to not just hold on tightly to this veteran identity of this is all I am, who I am.
• 22:38
  SPEAKER_01: And no one can be more of an expert on service if you haven't served.
• 22:42
  SPEAKER_01: I learned that no, it's valuable to have thoughts and opinions and discussions from other people that are based on service to help you understand your own.
• 22:53
  SPEAKER_01: So that was sort of the internal change that I got out of it.
• 22:56
  SPEAKER_01: But I also got a 3.7 GPA and was on the dean's list and won an award.
• 23:01
  SPEAKER_01: It's called the Harper Award, like for outstanding participation in a course.
• 23:05
  SPEAKER_01: I really tried every program and I tried to reach out to other students.
• 23:08
  SPEAKER_01: I got involved on campus.
• 23:10
  SPEAKER_01: And so I had all the academic and kind of campus resource knowledge in order to navigate that successfully and graduate with a degree from the University of Chicago.
• 23:20
  SPEAKER_01: And through that experience, I got internships in private equity, which was surprising for me because my major was comparative human development, which is interdisciplinary.
• 23:30
  SPEAKER_01: Think of like sociology, psychology, anthropology had a baby.
• 23:34
  SPEAKER_01: We talk about everything that impacts a human over their life course.
• 23:37
  SPEAKER_01: But that's absolutely pertinent to any industry you're going to go into.
• 23:40
  SPEAKER_01: So I ended up working in private equity and trying something I never would have tried.
• 23:43
  SPEAKER_01: And obviously, the type of income you can make in the finance or private equity world is absolutely drastically higher than anything I could have done working in retail or as an enlisted person in the military.
• 23:56
  SPEAKER_01: So I had access to spaces, income, and knowledge that I never would have had access to without higher ed.
• 24:03
  SPEAKER_01: So getting to where I am now, I worked in private equity, including the internships, and then getting hired on full-time afterwards.
• 24:10
  SPEAKER_01: I worked for a total of about three years.
• 24:12
  SPEAKER_01: And at the end of my one year of full-time, I was like, this is great.
• 24:16
  SPEAKER_01: I've learned so much.
• 24:17
  SPEAKER_01: I've been helped along the way by incredible people.
• 24:19
  SPEAKER_01: But my heart was really thinking constantly about ways to pay it forward with my veteran community.
• 24:26
  SPEAKER_01: And I've stayed very much involved with Warrior Scholar Project because we have a robust alumni network.
• 24:32
  SPEAKER_01: We have Slack channels, Facebook pages.
• 24:35
  SPEAKER_01: We've now started doing incredible like industry panels for our alums to learn about different industries.
• 24:41
  SPEAKER_01: We've got grad school programs to help people navigate thinking about their transition into grad school or higher degrees, right?
• 24:50
  SPEAKER_01: And more advanced degrees.
• 24:51
  SPEAKER_01: We've also got sort of a career transition mentor program.
• 24:55
  SPEAKER_01: So we've got all kinds of stuff that I realized, man, if I stay involved with an organization like this and stay connected with the fellow participants and alums and everyone in the community, like I'll always have a really great support network and be able to share my experiences with others.
• 25:10
  SPEAKER_01: So from the internalization of identity and how to succeed on campus to finding a community after I was through the program and throughout all of my transitions really meant so much to me that coming to work here full-time and help pay it forward in the most impactful way ended up being the right choice for me.
• 25:29
  SPEAKER_02: I I love it.
• 25:30
  SPEAKER_02: And I want to just take a second to point something out.
• 25:33
  SPEAKER_02: I'm sorry, excuse me.
• 25:35
  SPEAKER_02: So everybody listen to the story.
• 25:39
  SPEAKER_02: She used what she learned in the military.
• 25:42
  SPEAKER_02: And this is where I am, you're gonna you hear me all the time say it.
• 25:47
  SPEAKER_02: She made a decision, she took an action every transitional period, and and look where she's where she's at.
• 25:54
  SPEAKER_02: She succeeded, she found fulfillment in her life, which is one of the things most people lack is fighting through fulfillment.
• 26:01
  SPEAKER_02: That's why you get burnout, that's why you get all of those things.
• 26:04
  SPEAKER_02: But if you just keep moving, keep looking, keep taking steps, actions forward, you'll find your way.
• 26:12
  unknown: Yeah.
• 26:14
  SPEAKER_02: Stop.
• 26:14
  SPEAKER_02: Don't stop aiming the gun and shoot, first of all.
• 26:18
  SPEAKER_02: And like you said, you miss a hundred of the shots you don't take.
• 26:21
  SPEAKER_02: Love it, absolutely.
• 26:23
  SPEAKER_02: And just take take that take that action, move forward.
• 26:27
  SPEAKER_02: Just keep moving forward because the opposite's bad.
• 26:29
  SPEAKER_02: That's all I'm saying.
• 26:30
  SPEAKER_02: I'm not gonna go into it right now.
• 26:32
  SPEAKER_02: So, with that said, if we we're getting a little low on time, but can you give me just maybe a couple quick stories on other members that have gone through the program?
• 26:40
  SPEAKER_02: Which guys, it's phenomenal.
• 26:42
  SPEAKER_02: It's a phenomenal program.
• 26:44
  SPEAKER_02: I'm so excited to be bringing this out even more so.
• 26:47
  SPEAKER_02: Can you give us just a couple of thoughts of some quick little stories that of other successes?
• 26:52
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I can think of one of my shipmates.
• 26:55
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, he was also in the Navy.
• 26:56
  SPEAKER_01: We didn't necessarily serve together, but we were undergrads together at the University of Chicago.
• 27:00
  SPEAKER_01: And he had gone through Warrior Scholar Project.
• 27:03
  SPEAKER_01: So when I met him on campus, I was like, oh wow.
• 27:05
  SPEAKER_01: He literally crashed his car into a recruiting station when he was younger.
• 27:11
  SPEAKER_01: And he's first generation college.
• 27:14
  SPEAKER_01: And he went through Warrior Scholar Project, you know, he did the Navy, did Warrior Scholar Project, went to the University of Chicago.
• 27:20
  SPEAKER_01: Now he's wrapping up his MBA from the booth school of business at the University of Chicago.
• 27:25
  SPEAKER_01: And he's gotten hired on full-time for investment bank.
• 27:28
  SPEAKER_01: So that's one example.
• 27:30
  SPEAKER_01: And there are so many like that.
• 27:31
  SPEAKER_01: We've got veterans who have gone through our programming.
• 27:34
  SPEAKER_01: And by the way, I want to add that a lot of the folks who go through as alums do come back to apply to be a fellow to pay it forward.
• 27:40
  SPEAKER_01: Remember, I told you how impactful my fellows were.
• 27:43
  SPEAKER_01: So that's a big step in a lot of their journeys as well, is being able to pay it forward because it feels really good to share this with other vets.
• 27:49
  SPEAKER_01: And then they're going to dream schools.
• 27:51
  SPEAKER_01: We've got veterans at Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Stanford.
• 27:54
  SPEAKER_01: You name an incredible institution.
• 27:56
  SPEAKER_01: There are Warrior Scholar Project veterans that have either graduated or are currently attending.
• 28:01
  SPEAKER_01: We're really changing the landscape in that way.
• 28:03
  SPEAKER_01: And then we've got alumins who have created their own Department of Defense contracting startups.
• 28:08
  SPEAKER_01: So they work abroad doing defense-related things.
• 28:11
  SPEAKER_01: We've got some who have created medical tech startups.
• 28:15
  SPEAKER_01: We've got plenty that are working in banking, economics.
• 28:18
  SPEAKER_01: We've got tons who are doing policy work and going back to Capitol Hill to change policy, making things really happen on a large scale when it comes to civic engagement.
• 28:30
  SPEAKER_01: We see our veterans leading the way and creating lots of little nonprofits to help other veterans, whether it's things like we had talked about before, equine therapy type stuff, or career networking opportunities, or helping another veteran start their own business.
• 28:46
  SPEAKER_01: So every turn of the way, we've got these incredible folks who can tell you how crucial that moment.
• 28:53
  SPEAKER_01: They all had a moment at Warrior Scholar Project during that week where they realized, like, wow, I can really do whatever I set my mind to.
• 29:02
  SPEAKER_01: And there's people here to help me.
• 29:03
  SPEAKER_01: And so those are just some of the examples.
• 29:05
  SPEAKER_01: There's tons more I could give you.
• 29:07
  SPEAKER_01: And like I said, it's been 15 years of veterans going through it.
• 29:10
  SPEAKER_01: So we're really seeing the long-term success and impact of our programming.
• 29:14
  SPEAKER_02: Absolutely love it.
• 29:15
  SPEAKER_02: And thank you for sharing that.
• 29:16
  SPEAKER_02: It's super important for people to know these are real stories, you know?
• 29:20
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 29:20
  SPEAKER_01: One more favorite anecdote, real quick.
• 29:22
  SPEAKER_01: Another friend of mine, who's a Warrior Scholar Project alum, got one of those major incredible fellowships to go do a comparative study at Oxford.
• 29:30
  SPEAKER_01: And he just wrapped that up.
• 29:32
  SPEAKER_01: And now he's bringing everything.
• 29:33
  SPEAKER_01: He's he was a foster kid, and he was one of the few success stories in his family because he enlisted.
• 29:39
  SPEAKER_01: And now he's bringing back all the comparative knowledge he learned about the foster system in the UK and bringing it back to make real meaningful change to foster care in the US.
• 29:48
  SPEAKER_01: And like that's so beautiful.
• 29:49
  unknown: Yeah.
• 29:50
  SPEAKER_02: That is that's so so beautiful.
• 29:52
  SPEAKER_02: Fantastic.
• 29:53
  SPEAKER_02: So we're gonna go over time.
• 29:54
  SPEAKER_02: Do you have just a couple of extra minutes?
• 29:56
  SPEAKER_02: Absolutely.
• 29:56
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I'm here to have this chat and yeah.
• 29:59
  SPEAKER_02: We own the place, so we're good.
• 30:00
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 30:01
  SPEAKER_02: So um, so you know, I just I just first of all, I want to go through and say anybody that's on the fence that's thinking about helping the organization or enlisting the uh joining uh for the the week, that kind of thing.
• 30:16
  SPEAKER_02: I don't know the actual term.
• 30:17
  SPEAKER_02: I apologize.
• 30:18
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, you you you apply and you become a participant.
• 30:21
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 30:21
  SPEAKER_02: Perfect.
• 30:22
  SPEAKER_02: So so again, anybody that's looking to contribute to the organization or apply to the organization, how do we reach out to you or reach out to the organization?
• 30:31
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, so first of all, I want anyone listening to know they can find me on any social media platform and send me a message, and I'm happy to help you in any way I can, whether it's steer you to a resource or talk to you about your journey and maybe give you some thoughtful steps, et cetera, or pass you to the right people who can help you if I can't.
• 30:49
  SPEAKER_01: But you should go to warrior-scholar.org.
• 30:53
  SPEAKER_01: It's our website.
• 30:54
  SPEAKER_01: It's got the about us.
• 30:55
  SPEAKER_01: You can find me and my email for work listed under our team.
• 31:00
  SPEAKER_01: But you can read, you can see our annual report, you can read about the stats that we're really changing the game for higher ed success for veterans.
• 31:09
  SPEAKER_01: You can read about our our host institutions that we that host our boot camps.
• 31:14
  SPEAKER_01: You can also apply, which is the most important part.
• 31:17
  SPEAKER_01: And right now our applications are open.
• 31:19
  SPEAKER_01: So if you are even thinking about getting out of the military and you're an enlisted vet, or you're already out, or you've been out for decades, even, but you really are thinking, man, I should really give higher ed a shot.
• 31:31
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely apply.
• 31:32
  SPEAKER_01: It costs you nothing.
• 31:33
  SPEAKER_01: The program is free thanks to the generosity of donors, which we rely on heavily.
• 31:38
  SPEAKER_01: So that's another aspect I would like to feature is you can also donate through our website.
• 31:43
  SPEAKER_01: And we've got our 15th anniversary this year.
• 31:45
  SPEAKER_01: So it's a really meaningful way to keep the mission going and change the lives of veterans, just like all the people I told you about, just like myself.
• 31:52
  SPEAKER_01: So warriors-scholar.org.
• 31:55
  SPEAKER_01: We're also on LinkedIn, Facebook, I mean, you name it, Instagram.
• 31:59
  SPEAKER_01: And we we love when people engage with our stuff and leave comments.
• 32:03
  SPEAKER_01: And so just do yourself a favor and take a shot.
• 32:06
  SPEAKER_01: Nobody's grading you.
• 32:07
  SPEAKER_01: It's really up to you to be proactive and be curious and say, hey, I've got nothing to lose trying this program and everything to gain.
• 32:13
  SPEAKER_01: And we also do offer virtual programming.
• 32:16
  SPEAKER_01: So if you are deployed and you have time somehow on deployment, you can actually attend one of our courses virtually.
• 32:23
  SPEAKER_01: And if you just want a taste of it, you can go on there and we have a college readiness college success workshop that's like a mini crash course.
• 32:31
  SPEAKER_01: So there's every way to engage if you're just interested and curious, and you should absolutely be just for yourself.
• 32:37
  SPEAKER_02: Let me add to that if I can.
• 32:39
  SPEAKER_02: If you're curious, there's a reason why.
• 32:41
  SPEAKER_02: Take the action.
• 32:43
  SPEAKER_02: Take the action.
• 32:44
  SPEAKER_02: Yes.
• 32:46
  SPEAKER_02: Do it right after the broadcast, right after the public.
• 32:48
  SPEAKER_01: Do it right now.
• 32:49
  SPEAKER_01: Go on there right now and just check it out.
• 32:50
  SPEAKER_01: Just read about it.
• 32:51
  SPEAKER_01: It costs you nothing.
• 32:52
  SPEAKER_01: Like I said, just go on there and scope it out.
• 32:55
  SPEAKER_01: And like Wayne Gretzky, once again, you miss 100% of the shots you don't take.
• 32:59
  SPEAKER_01: So just take them.
• 33:00
  SPEAKER_01: So what if you miss a bunch?
• 33:01
  SPEAKER_01: You're bound to get one in eventually.
• 33:02
  SPEAKER_01: And this one is definitely one you can you can pocket that goal.
• 33:06
  SPEAKER_01: You can get upstairs in the in the like upper left window or or whatever of the goal.
• 33:12
  SPEAKER_02: You know, I love it.
• 33:13
  SPEAKER_02: I love it.
• 33:14
  SPEAKER_02: So, with that said, let's uh let's go through three tips to get veterans of their families first further fast.
• 33:20
  SPEAKER_01: Ooh, okay.
• 33:21
  SPEAKER_01: I'll try to be concise.
• 33:22
  SPEAKER_01: This one's hard.
• 33:23
  SPEAKER_01: Be curious, go out there and look for resources.
• 33:26
  SPEAKER_01: You the the great part of AI right now, even though there's a lot of debate about it, is you can go on there and at the very least ask it, where do I find resources for veterans in higher ed, in careers, in finance?
• 33:38
  SPEAKER_01: You can really fill in the blank and it will pop up some great resources out there to help you.
• 33:43
  SPEAKER_01: So be curious.
• 33:44
  SPEAKER_01: Second thing is find a community or build a community.
• 33:47
  SPEAKER_01: You cannot do it on your own.
• 33:49
  SPEAKER_01: And if you can, props to you, but it's probably not gonna be as fun or rewarding for you.
• 33:53
  SPEAKER_01: So find a community or build one.
• 33:55
  SPEAKER_01: If you're not finding it out there, a side project I have is I'm creating a little startup for sports fans for women.
• 34:01
  SPEAKER_01: That's a community I'm gonna build because I haven't found it.
• 34:04
  SPEAKER_01: So that's an example of what you can do.
• 34:06
  SPEAKER_01: And the third one is have faith in yourself.
• 34:09
  SPEAKER_01: Don't be self-selecting and don't tell yourself I probably couldn't succeed.
• 34:14
  SPEAKER_01: You never know until you try.
• 34:16
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, and that goes along with a quote someone recently told me, which was success is never final and failure is never, it was like failure is never permanent or something.
• 34:27
  SPEAKER_01: Something really great like that.
• 34:28
  SPEAKER_01: So remember to just have faith in yourself, build a community or find one, and be curious.
• 34:35
  SPEAKER_02: Those are some of the most fantastic tips.
• 34:39
  SPEAKER_02: Absolutely.
• 34:40
  SPEAKER_02: Love it.
• 34:40
  SPEAKER_02: Um, thank you for taking the time.
• 34:42
  SPEAKER_02: Time is the most precious resource we have as human beings.
• 34:45
  SPEAKER_02: Thank you for spending some of that time in your life with us.
• 34:48
  SPEAKER_02: It is so appreciated, and we're grateful.
• 34:50
  SPEAKER_02: So thank you for being on the show.
• 34:51
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you so much for having me.
• 34:53
  SPEAKER_01: It's been a real honor and a treat to meet you and chat with you.
• 34:55
  SPEAKER_01: And hopefully we can change the lives of some folks through this discussion.
• 34:58
  SPEAKER_02: I feel like we already have.
• 35:01
  SPEAKER_02: And with that said, everybody, we're out of here.
• 35:07
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you for joining us on another insightful journey of your thoughts, your reality podcast with your host, Michael Cole.
• 35:14
  SPEAKER_00: We have the conversation as far as some thoughts at resonate with you.