Across the ten campuses of the University of California, student veterans and active-duty servicemembers are building new lives as students while drawing on their military experience. These individuals, from diverse backgrounds and branches of service, are finding support and community as they transition to higher education.
Hanh Dinh, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and first-generation college student, graduated with a B.S. in Cognitive Science from UC San Diego in 2024. She is now the Undergraduate Student Veteran Program Director at Cornell University. Dinh explained her path: “When I left the military, I had a lot of self-doubt about going back into school.” Attending a bootcamp at Yale University helped her gain confidence before transferring to UC San Diego. She credits connecting with other veterans for her success: “What was really integral to my success at UC and beyond was just knowing there are so many people like me who are unfamiliar with the higher education system, and connecting with them and other student veterans,” Dinh says. “It was empowering to know that, ‘Hey, we’ve done a lot of challenging things in the military, but now we can forge our own path, whether that’s similar to what we did in the military or completely different.’”
Amanda Lassiter serves in the Coast Guard Reserve while studying Informatics at UC Irvine. As a staff member at the university’s Veteran Services Center and also a first-generation college student, Lassiter balances academic life with monthly reserve duties. She described her experience: “I grew up in a very small town in rural Virginia. A lot of farm land, a lot of trees, but an environment where I knew that an education wasn’t going to be afforded to me unless I worked for it myself.” After being recalled for FEMA hurricane response during her first quarter at UC Irvine—a disruption that required her to retake classes—Lassiter said: “Initially, I was frustrated because I had already gotten halfway through the quarter and I was so excited to step forward into being a full-time student. But the mission made it worth it.” Reflecting on her transition from military life she added: “It can be a really hard transition to leave the military ecosystem where you’re told what to do, where to be and when to be there. Now we’re all kind of out on our own, just finding our way as students… We’re not wearing the uniform anymore, but we’re not alone. We’re all doing this together.”
Sebastian Smith retired from the Air Force after 20 years before enrolling at UC Davis as a plant biology major with plans for graduate study. At age 48, Smith is both a mentor figure among younger classmates and an example within his family; his youngest child lives with him on campus while finishing high school online and his two oldest children attend community college nearby. Smith shared: “The military forced me to confront my weaknesses and learn to do things that were uncomfortable, like public speaking,” he says. “I had so many spectacular experiences throughout my career, and I met so many amazing people. But I didn’t necessarily enjoy my professional field.” On sharing his educational journey with his children he said: “I transferred to UC Davis using the TAG program, and now my oldest son wants to do the same. My kids are just a few semesters behind me, so it’s awesome to share my experience and help them in the process.”
Nathaniel Wentland is pursuing an MBA at UC Davis after serving in both active duty Navy Reserve roles around the world—including piloting ships through strategic waterways—and working as a merchant marine officer for over ten years. He found community support through the campus Veteran Success Center where he now works as a peer advisor organizing events for fellow veterans on topics such as financial planning and GI Bill benefits use.
These stories highlight how veterans across University of California campuses leverage their service backgrounds while adapting their skills toward academic achievement.
