“As veterans, we’re trained to fight, but we’re not really trained to come home,” said Megan Lowry, a master’s student in social work at The University of Oklahoma—Tulsa. Lowry knows this first-hand and is determined to make a difference.

While serving in the U.S. Marine Corps from 2005-2008, Lowry faced tremendous trauma. “I had four traumatic brain injuries and a dozen fractures to my face and head alone. My back had three disks that were pushed in and pinching my spinal cord. I would lose feeling in my legs,” Lowry said. “I ended up snapping the ligaments in both of my knees, and my right ankle was destroyed.”

Not long after, a fellow Marine violently assaulted her. She was nervous to report it, but she was more concerned that he would do it to someone else. The experience was a trying one, and her post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) wreaked havoc on her life.

“It got to a point where my PTSD was so bad that I couldn’t work. I was terrified to go to the grocery store,” Lowry revealed. “There were days where I never got out of bed.” She sought treatment at a Houston VA medical center. Afterwards, she started taking sociology classes at Tulsa Community College and later at the University of Tulsa. While there, she transitioned from military service to community service, becoming an advocate for veteran’s rights, indigenous peoples, eating disorders, military sexual trauma survivors.

She also become a service dog trainer with American Humane’s Pups4Patriots™ program. “I’m super passionate about getting veterans service dogs because… losing some of my brothers and sisters to veteran’s suicide which is extremely painful. I can speak from my own personal experience, my service dog has saved my life, and I want that to help other veterans.” The Pups4Patriots program trains service dogs for veterans struggling with post-traumatic stress or traumatic brain injury, which can contribute to veteran suicide rates.

“Even if I don’t wear my uniform anymore, my service is never going to be over,” said Lowry. “Just knowing that something happens, whether it’s on American soil or worldwide, I have the heart to be there and help out.” Lowry graduated with a B.A. in sociology from The University of Tulsa, where she received the Marcy Lawless Service Award. You can learn more about the Pups4Patriots program on the American Humane website.

Visit the GradImpact Feature Gallery to learn more about the amazing, innovative research being done by graduate students and alumni across the world.

Image Credit: The University of Oklahoma – Tulsa

First-time enrolment of Indigenous and Latinx students in US graduate-level programmes rose between autumn 2017 and 2018, according to a report from the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) in Washington DC, which represents more than 500 universities, mainly in the United States.

A commitment to public service is a value shared by almost all veterans and active duty servicemembers. This commitment is also shared by many graduate students who hope to use their education for the betterment of their communities. It was the commitment to public service that spurred William LaRose, a master’s candidate in public administration at Cornell University, to pursue a graduate degree after serving four years in the US Army. “I knew I wanted to continue to service after the Army,” LaRose said, “and that I wanted to do so at a premier university and program.”

LaRose’s military service provided him with skills to help him succeed in his graduate program. “Time management, coping with stress, and working with diverse teams of people” were all important parts of his military training that translated into success at Cornell.

These skills have allowed LaRose to not only succeed in graduate school, but become a leader and role model for other students. He has channeled that leadership into volunteer work at Service to School, a veteran-run not for profit that connects veterans and active duty military with free college application preparation services. LaRose relied on Service to School to help him prepare his graduate school applications and now volunteers with the organization as an “undergraduate ambassador” to help other veterans get into college. He has also continued his military service with the New York National Guard’s 2-108^th Infantry.

More than anything else, LaRose hopes that his example will encourage other veterans to apply to graduate programs. He recognizes the need for veteran’s leadership in many sectors of American life and views graduate school as one way to translate veteran experiences into civilian success. In the end, he found military service to be excellent preparation for graduate school. “To my fellow veterans,” he concluded, “you have the skills and experience to flourish at an Ivy League institution. Believe that. Our country needs your leadership now more than ever, so shoot for that top program, study hard, and continue to service the nation in whatever capacity you can.”

Visit the GradImpact Feature Gallery to learn more about the amazing, innovative research being done by graduate students and alumni across the world.

Image Credit: Cornell University

As a doctoral candidate in biology at the University of Notre Dame, James “Jayme” Hentig researches Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI) and regenerative therapies. In 2017, he received a Graduate Research Fellowship from the National Science Foundation to develop and implement an innovative TBI model design for pre-clinical trials. His project requires managing budgets, collaborating with interdisciplinary teams at other universities, and overseeing junior scientists, all skills he honed while in the U.S. military.

Hentig joined the U.S. Army in 2008 as an airborne combat medic. His role required supervision of junior medics and ensuring the well-being of 120 personnel. He served in Europe before being deployed to Afghanistan. His experience there has greatly informed his research interests. Suffering a severe blow to the head, which caused a TBI, Hentig spent a year rehabbing before retiring from the Army in 2012. The trauma of the injury and the long road to recovery offered Hentig a new path. After leaving the Army, he earned a bachelor’s degree in neuroscience at Western Michigan University in 2016. His Honors Undergraduate Thesis, "Chemical Ablation with Zinc Sulfate Results in Differential Effects on Olfactory Sensory Neuron Subtypes in the Adult Zebrafish" received the 2016 Best Honors Thesis Award and serves as the basis for his doctoral research.

Using zebrafish, which have remarkable regenerative capabilities, Hentig hopes to develop a traumatic brain injury model and see how and if the brain of a zebrafish regenerates following blunt force trauma. “I love neuroscience because the brain is the center of individual existence,” Hentig said. “Furthering our knowledge and working towards regenerative therapies for individuals suffering from neurodegenerative diseases provides hope for not only the individual, but also for the families watching their loved ones slip in and out day by day.”

In addition to his doctoral work, Hentig serves as a STEM Mentor for the Warrior-Scholar Project, where he helps veterans transitioning from military service to civilian/student life. To learn more about James’s work, visit the University of Notre Dame website. To see the UND military spotlight on Hentig, visit their YouTube page.

Visit the GradImpact Feature Gallery to learn more about the amazing, innovative research being done by graduate students and alumni across the world.

Image Credit: University of Notre Dame

Nick Harnish is an applied master’s student in the School of Human Ecology at the University of Wisconsin—Madison with an emphasis in community organizing, human development, nonprofit management, and public humanities. He’s also a veteran of the U.S. Army, a former first responder, a volunteer with Wisconsin Hero Outdoors, and a Public Humanities Scholar with the UW—Madison Center for Humanities.

Harnish is using his broad and impressive range of experiences and expertise to turn a lighthouse on the grounds of Lakewood WWV Camp in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, into a cultural retreat for veterans and first responders. “It’s going to be the beacon of hope for our veterans and first responders. A lighthouse is very fitting for that,” Harnish said.

Aptly named Havenwood, the outdoor wellness center is scheduled to open in spring 2020. Harnish’s certification in mindfulness-based stress reduction and experience with wilderness therapy will help ensure programs that work. “That’s where Havenwood is really unique,” he said. “I’m going to give you this space to be alone with your thoughts and your feelings and allow you to process them. And I want to give you the tools and resources to process it, versus forcing that process to happen.”

Harnish currently works at the Department of Military Affairs as a state program coordinator, organizing programs for military-connected youth. To learn more about Nick’s work, visit the University of Wisconsin—Madison website. 

Visit the GradImpact Feature Gallery to learn more about the amazing, innovative research being done by graduate students and alumni across the world.

Image Credit: University of Wisconsin—Madison

The graduate recruiting and admissions environment is becoming increasingly competitive, and having the right tools to identify, select, evaluate and enroll best-fit students is key to admissions offices’ continued success. Liaison’s Centralized Application Services (CASs) serve as graduate education communities that help schools overcome the barriers they face as they work to build better classes. During this webinar, graduate program leaders will share the benefits they’ve seen from becoming members of a modern, comprehensive application service that benefits applicants and graduate programs. Featuring presentations by Julie Masterson (Missouri State University) and Robbie Melton (Tennessee State University). Webinar sponsored by Liaison. 

Nearly two-thirds of deans that the Council of Graduate Students surveyed last year said they strongly agreed or agreed that current graduate students struggle to maintain their mental health more than students five years ago.

Advanced doctoral students—along with their institutions-- have already made significant investments in their degrees. Yet advanced candidacy is a common time for burnout, doubts about career goals, and stress. Learn what leading institutions are doing to help their doctoral students successfully cross the finish line. This webinar will pay particular attention to support for underrepresented students. Featuring presentations by Janet C. Rutledge (University of Maryland, Baltimore County) and Jan Allen (Cornell University). The broadcasting of this webinar presentation was sponsored in part by DoctoralNet.

This lack of straightforwardness in career paths does not just affect graduates of four-year degree programs, said Hironao Okahana, associate vice president for research and policy analysis from the Council of Graduate Schools.