Veterans Center

Saluting Service

BBENSON@bridgew.edu — Thu, 31 Oct 2024 12:58:17 +0000

Saluting Service BBENSON@bridgew.edu Thu, 10/31/2024 - 08:58

Alumnus credits education with preparing him for military career

October 31, 2024

Brian Benson, G'23

During his 30-year military career, Mike Adams, ’94, traveled to places as far away as Iraq and South Korea. But he can trace his global acumen right back to Bridgewater State classrooms.

“What was helpful and stood out to me then was the diversity of the faculty and diversity of the student body,” Adams said of Bridgewater, where he studied sociology. “You got much richer perspectives and experience through that diversity.”

Adams credits his time at Bridgewater with instilling skills that formed the foundation of his extensive service in the U.S. Army. The intangible benefits of a liberal arts education, earned at an institution like Bridgewater which champions diversity, helped Adams adjust to serving on a tank crew in South Korea with a Hispanic soldier from New York, a Jamaican and a Samoan.

He rose to key leadership posts, including chief of staff for the 3rd Infantry Division in Fort Stewart, Georgia. There, he helped design and implement COVID-19 mitigation measures to protect more than 19,000 soldiers, civilian workers and family members.

“I served with some of the best men and women in the Army,” said Adams, who retired as a colonel and now lives in his native Massachusetts. “Being in command is probably one of the most important and rewarding jobs I’ve had.”

Adams earned master’s degrees from the National War College and Air Force Command and Staff College, advanced educational experiences that he was ready for with a Bridgewater diploma.

“I was 100 percent prepared,” he said, adding he could adapt to the Army’s direct written communication style. “You had to write a lot in sociology and the college environment.”

Adams was so impressed with Bridgewater that he encouraged his daughter, Sophia, '28, to come to BSU. Sophia, who is studying astrophysics, aspires to conduct research using prominent telescopes like Hubble.

In just her first semester, she is already studying her passion through physics instructor Joseph Doyle’s Exploring the Universe course.

“I love that class so much,” she said. “It’s exactly what I want to do and the stuff I want to learn. It’s overall just a really nice opportunity to learn about the history of astronomy and do some fun labs.”

Adams is glad – but not surprised – to see Sophia fit in at Bridgewater.

“It has a great climate,” he said. “It will play to her strengths. Bridgewater is in my mind the right place.”

Do you have a BSU story you'd like to share? Email stories@bridgew.edu.

What was helpful and stood out to me then was the diversity of the faculty and diversity of the student body. You got much richer perspectives and experience through that diversity.

Mike Adams, ’94

Tags

Alumni Profile

Veterans Center

Finishing What He Started

BBENSON@bridgew.edu — Wed, 09 Oct 2024 15:37:31 +0000

Finishing What He Started BBENSON@bridgew.edu Wed, 10/09/2024 - 11:37

Veteran returns to school to complete management degree

October 10, 2024

Brian Benson, G'23

At 60 years old, Ronald Pace, ’26, is more than twice the age of many of his classmates. But his dream resonates across generations: to earn a college degree in hopes of bettering his life.

“It’s an exciting opportunity for me,” said Ronald, who hopes to leverage his BSU education to work in project management. “Once I get the degree, the (job) opportunities just open up.”

A disabled veteran, Ronald joined the military after high school and served in the Army and Coast Guard. He went on to work as a truck driver and owned a handyman business. He started taking college classes in Colorado but had to withdraw and move to Massachusetts for family reasons.

Now living in Brockton, Ronald is using veterans benefits to complete a degree in management at Bridgewater State. The transition, he said, has been remarkably easy thanks to support from Military & Veteran Student Services and Transfer Services at BSU.

Ronald said Transfer Services Director Jeff Sarahs, ’10, G’12, “sat with me for an hour and, before I left that room, we had classes.”

Those courses include English, economics, international relations and critical thinking. He praised his classmates for helping him navigate the campus and even showing him how to order food from the on-campus Starbucks using his phone.

“I’ve got really good professors and really good classmates,” he said. “They don’t call me grandpa, yet.”

BSU even helped him with parking because he struggles to walk long distances.

No matter the physical challenges, Ronald draws on his inner determination to propel him toward a bachelor’s degree.

“Don’t give up on yourself at any time,” he said. “That’s my philosophy. I can show up here and fail, but at least I tried, which is better than never trying at all.”

Ultimately, the culture of acceptance at Bridgewater has made his college experience rewarding.

“It speaks volumes that (Bridgewater) is willing to educate anybody who wants to learn,” he said. “It says a lot about a school that’s willing to give a veteran a shot at finishing what he started.”

Do you have a BSU story you'd like to share? Email stories@bridgew.edu.

It speaks volumes that (Bridgewater) is willing to educate anybody who wants to learn. It says a lot about a school that’s willing to give a veteran a shot at finishing what he started.

Ronald Pace, '26

Tags

Student Spotlight

Veterans Center

Photo by Mackenzie Rubitschung, ’21, G’27

Giving His All

JFINKELSTEIN@bridgew.edu — Mon, 28 Nov 2022 17:31:45 +0000

Giving His All JFINKELSTEIN@b… Mon, 11/28/2022 - 12:31

Remembering the sacrifice and devotion to veterans embodied by the late Paul Monti, ’70

October 28, 2022

John Winters, G’11

Story Series

Bridgewater Magazine

It’s a well-known story in these parts. Paul Monti, ’70, was at the Massachusetts National Cemetery in Bourne on Veterans Day 2006, when he noticed there were no flags marking the graves of the nearly 80,000 veterans buried there. He was told flags were not allowed – they interfered with the upkeep of the 750-acre site.

Mr. Monti decided this wasn’t right and proceeded to do something about it.

It took more than four years, but he persuaded state officials to change the policy. He also founded Operation Flags for Vets. Now, every Veterans Day and Memorial Day the cemetery becomes a sea of red, white and blue.

This is only part of the legacy left behind by Mr. Monti, who died of cancer on August 26.

Mr. Monti’s work led him to becoming something of a local celebrity, the face of patriotism and a die-hard supporter of all U.S. veterans.

As Governor Charlie Baker said to The Boston Globe: “The thing that was truly remarkable about him was his decency and his desire to try to find something positive in such a terrible loss.”

In September 2009, President Barack Obama presented Paul Monti with the Medal of Honor, the United States’ highest award for military valor in combat, in recognition of his son Jared’s service and ultimate sacrifice on behalf of his country.

That loss was the reason Mr. Monti was at the cemetery on that Veterans Day 16 years ago. Earlier that year, on June 21, his son, Army Sergeant First Class Jared C. Monti, had been killed in action in Nuristan Province, Afghanistan. He was 30 years old. Mr. Monti also had two other children, Niccole and Timothy, who both survive him.

The fact that Sergeant Monti died of injuries from a rocket-propelled grenade while attempting to rescue a fellow soldier would, in 2009, earn him the Medal of Honor. As then-President Barack Obama told the story during the award ceremony, “[W]hen these American soldiers saw one of their own – wounded, lying in the open, some 20 yards away, exposed to the approaching enemy – Jared Monti did something no amount of training can instill. His patrol leader said he’d go, but Jared said, ‘No, he is my soldier, I’m going to get him.’ It was written long ago that ‘the bravest are surely those who have the clearest vision of what is before them, glory and danger alike, and yet, notwithstanding, go out to meet it.’ Jared Monti saw the danger before him. And he went out to meet it.”

Before Paul Monti became a proud Gold Star Father, he was an educator. He taught earth science at Stoughton High School for 35 years, retiring in 2005.

“He had students everywhere,” recalled his sister, Jean Monti. A teacher in Brockton herself, sitting in the dining room of her home about a mile from campus, she recounted her brother’s love of teaching and devotion to his students. “No matter where we went, people came up and said, ‘I had Mr. Monti …’ He was always so proud of his students.”

Ms. Monti said her brother was driven by a desire to minister to others; it’s the family way. Her parents, Joseph and Mary Monti, were active in the church and community in Braintree, where Paul was the fifth child of 13. The list of the family’s charitable endeavors would fill a full page.

“Paul was humble, Jared was humble. I guess it’s the way we are,” Ms. Monti said. “My father was like that. You do the right thing, that’s what Paul lived by.”

Jared Monti was known for his friendships with members of the local Afghan community. In an August 2021 interview with WCVB, Paul Monti said his son cared deeply about his fellow soldiers and the Afghan people, and when his family sent him care packages, Jared would distribute the contents to local children.

With the death of his son, the focus of Mr. Monti’s life understandably shifted. “Paul’s life mission after Jared passed was to make sure no soldier is forgotten,” his sister said.

Along with founding Operation Flags for Vets, Mr. Monti developed the fundraising ventures Monti’s Run, and the SFC Jared C. Monti Charitable Foundation.

Bridgewater-Raynham Regional High School also offers a scholarship in Jared’s name, started by his father.

Much of Paul Monti’s time in recent years was spent giving speeches and supporting organizations that benefit veterans. He earned national attention after mentioning in a radio interview that in order to stay close to his late son he continued to drive his truck around his adopted hometown of Raynham. Country songwriter Connie Harrington heard the interview and was inspired to co-write the hit song, “I Drive Your Truck.” It became a number one hit on country radio for singer Lee Brice, and earned Song of the Year honors at the 47th annual Country Music Association Awards, as well as Song of the Year at the 49th annual Academy of Country Music Awards.

Even after he was severely weakened by the cancer that would take his life, Mr. Monti continued to make appearances on behalf of veterans and his son’s memory. His message, especially to young people, always involved the three maxims he himself lived by: Always try your hardest, never give up, and do the right thing.

“Paul just gave and gave, and he wanted the veterans to be taken care of,” Jean Monti said.

His message clearly resonated. As Governor Baker told The Globe following Mr. Monti’s death: “The guy had a huge following because of who he was and what he meant to so many people. He was so unassuming, too. He had no idea, I don’t think, of the sort of influence he had on people, just by being who he was.”

It’s true that Paul Monti exemplified the motto of his alma mater, Not to be ministered unto, but to minister.” However, there’s little doubt that he would want the last words here to focus not on himself, but on his heroic son. As President Obama said on that day during the September 2009 ceremony when Jared Monti was honored with the Medal of Honor: “Compassion. Perseverance. Strength. A love for his fellow soldiers. Those are the values that defined Jared Monti’s life – and the values he displayed in the actions that we recognize here today.”

Truly, the apple did not fall far from the tree.

Learn about BSU's Office of Military and Veteran Student Services.

Learn more about Operation Flags for Vets.

Paul just gave and gave, and he wanted the veterans to be taken care of.

Jean Monti

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Veterans Center

Alumni Profile

Highly Motivated

BBENSON@bridgew.edu — Mon, 24 Jan 2022 19:53:41 +0000

Highly Motivated BBENSON@bridgew.edu Mon, 01/24/2022 - 14:53

Alumnus travels country motivating others after near fatal injury

January 25, 2022

Brian Benson

Seriously injured due to a crash that nearly tore his arm off, Greg Reynolds, ’10, ’16, had a one in 2,000 chance of surviving. But Reynolds beat those odds.

Reynolds suffered a traumatic brain injury and ultimately had to have his left arm and shoulder amputated after he was hit by a car while riding his motorcycle in 2008. He was in a coma for six weeks and had to relearn to walk and talk. Mentally, he was self-conscious about his disability and hid his amputation beneath sweatshirts.

His Bridgewater State education played a key role in the recovery.

“Going to college helped me accept the injury I sustained,” said Reynolds, whose doctors and mother suggested he attend college. “It was an environment not only helpful to my mental health, but it also gave me direction and goals to work towards achieving a degree.”

The transformation began in the Tinsley Center gym. It had the equipment Reynolds needed to continue strengthening his body, but he couldn’t hide behind a sweatshirt. Instead, he learned to embrace who he was and even jokingly shook hands using a fake skeleton arm in place of his missing limb. The confidence extended to the classroom, where he always sat in the front.

“For the longest time, I would struggle to accept help,” said Reynolds, an Army veteran who saw combat in Iraq. “I had the military mindset that I can do it all.”

At Bridgewater, he found a caring community of professors and students and discovered the value in reaching out for that help. Reynolds became a regular at the Academic Achievement Center where he found tutoring and writing support.

Reynolds earned a degree in criminal justice in 2010 and shared his story with fellow graduates at commencement. The experience led him to consider becoming a motivational speaker, and he returned to Bridgewater to earn a communication studies degree.

Professors such as Dr. Jason Edwards taught him about proper discourse and dialogue.

“That degree taught me to listen first and speak last, but also how to formulate your thoughts and how to become a better communicator,” he said. “The biggest thing was just cognitively getting back what I lost with the brain injury.”

Now Reynolds, who set the record for one-arm push-ups in one minute while carrying a 40-pound pack, plays softball for the USA Patriots team of amputee veterans and mentors youth through athletics. He speaks to groups across the country through his business, Makin’ Lemonade, and hopes his story will one day be the subject of a movie.

“No matter how hard life knocks you down, we all have the ability to get back up and push through and be the captain of our own ship,” he said. “You can be the victim or the victor. It’s all about the mindset.”

Do you have a BSU story you'd like to share? Email stories@bridgew.edu.

Going to college helped me accept the injury I sustained. It was an environment not only helpful to my mental health, but it also gave me direction and goals to work towards achieving a degree.

Greg Reynolds, ’10, ’16

Tags

Alumni Profile

Veterans Center

Mental Health Matters

HHARRIS@bridgew.edu — Wed, 19 Jan 2022 14:28:35 +0000

Mental Health Matters HHARRIS@bridgew.edu Wed, 01/19/2022 - 09:28

Campus community offers assistance in-person and online for students

January 20, 2022

Heather Harris Michonski

As students return to campus this semester and the world continues to navigate the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, many may be experiencing anxiety.

For those struggling, it’s important to know supports are in place at ��Ƶ�� to help manage these feelings.

A great starting point is the BSU Wellness Center.

“We all need supportive and caring people to help us navigate the stresses and worries of life, people who can help us get through the ups and downs that we all experience,” said Donna Schiavo, clinical director of the Wellness Center.

Confidential counseling services are offered free, in both individual and group settings. For those not comfortable talking with a counselor, there are online tools and services.

Togetherall is a virtual, peer-to-peer, anonymous support community where students can share their concerns. The online community is moderated by mental health professionals and offers students a safe place to draw strength and gain insights from peers.

Also available is WellTrack, another free online resource that helps students better understand feelings of stress, anxiety, and depression, and suggests ways to manage these feelings. To register for an account, students can download the WellTrack app on the Apple App Store or Google Play Store and register using their @student.bridgew.edu email address.

Beyond the Wellness Center, it’s important for students to know that community members across campus are invested in their mental health.

“Being a support system is our biggest draw for students to come in and vent, and ask for resources,” said Diana Mendes, interim assistant director of the Lewis and Gaines Center for Inclusion and Equity (LGCIE), located in the Rondileau Student Union.

For some students, there isn’t a safe space at home where they can express themselves, therefore they tend to suppress their emotions.

“When a student is experiencing so many different types of feelings and not being validated at home, that student often suffers in silence,” said LGCIE Interim Director Michael Walsh, adding that many students of color, particularly males, tend to suppress uncomfortable feelings.

Walsh said part of his job is to let students know they do have a place to turn to and that help is always available.

“The LGCIE is a safe place, where students can keep an eye on each other, have conversations and connect with others,” he said. “By having thoughtful, real, careful conversations, we’re able to understand what some of our students are dealing with in terms of their mental health.”

A Quiet Lounge is set up at the BSU Pride Center where students can sit, relax, read, or work on homework. Coloring books, crayons, markers, puzzles, and paper are also offered in the lounge to help students unwind.

“You can always drop into the Pride Center between classes if you’re looking for a place to hang out, meet and be around other LGBTQIA+ people, find out more about different programs, events and social opportunities,” said Pride Center Director Carolyn Taggart. “I’m happy to meet with students one-on-one to assist them in finding resources.”

The Military and Veteran Student Center hosts ongoing events that focus on peer support, including one scheduled for May 4 where students can come together and de-stress during finals week.

This spring the center is also launching a Green to Grad program intended to bolster support for students transitioning from servicemember to student.

“Our goal as educators is to prepare students for life after college, and one of the things we should be fostering is the belief that it’s okay to be vulnerable,” said Brian Duchaney, director of military and veteran student services. “It’s important for us to be building opportunities for students to come together and share their experiences.”

Do you have a BSU story you'd like to share? Email stories@bridgew.edu

Our goal as educators is to prepare students for life after college, and one of the things we should be fostering is the belief that it’s okay to be vulnerable.

Brian Duchaney, '02, G'07, director of Military and Veteran Student Services

Tags

Mental Health

Wellness Center

Pride Center

LGCIE

Veterans Center

Returning to Serve

HHARRIS@bridgew.edu — Mon, 03 Jan 2022 17:13:51 +0000

Returning to Serve HHARRIS@bridgew.edu Mon, 01/03/2022 - 12:13

New director looks to expand and increase services for student-veterans

January 4, 2022

Heather Harris Michonski

For more than 20 years ��Ƶ�� has played a major role in the life of Brian Duchaney, ’02, G’07. This continues with his recent appointment as director of Military and Veteran Students Services.

For the past 14 years, the double bear has been an adjunct English professor, and while he enjoys teaching, Duchaney looks forward to making the transition.

“I love being in the classroom but saw this as an opportunity to help BSU’s military and veteran population,” he said.

Duchaney served in the US Army from 1996 to 2005, reaching the rank of staff sergeant. He understands firsthand how difficult it can be to balance a military career and school. Doing this both as an undergraduate and graduate student, he sometimes struggled.

“I had to handle deployments and disruptions to my education due to my military service,” Duchaney said.

He looks to support students by adding more programming, bringing back the BSU Student Veterans Club, and establishing services for students in need.

“Beyond that I will help our veterans and servicemembers transition from one career to the next so that Military and Veteran Student Services provides a pathway forward toward life beyond BSU,” he said.

Duchaney is most excited about the potential for progress and growth.

“This position extends beyond the BSU campus and allows me to speak to the community about all that BSU has to offer military veterans, servicemembers and their families,” he said.

One final goal for Duchaney is to change the way some people view veterans overall.

“There is a perception that veterans are broken, that we are all beyond repair, or dangerous or cannot cope with reality. This is not the case,” he said. “Our military service makes up a small part of who we are as individuals. It doesn’t consume our identity in the way that many think it does.”

Do you have a BSU story you'd like to share? Email stories@bridgew.edu

This position extends beyond the BSU campus and allows me to speak to the community about all that BSU has to offer military veterans, servicemembers and their families.

Brian Duchaney, '02, G'07, director of Military and Veteran Student Services

Tags

Veterans Center

Those Who (Also) Served

JFINKELSTEIN@bridgew.edu — Tue, 16 Nov 2021 16:37:00 +0000

Those Who (Also) Served JFINKELSTEIN@b… Tue, 11/16/2021 - 11:37

Student's project shines a light on the service of female veterans

September 3, 2021

John Winters, G’11

Story Series

Bridgewater Magazine

It’s something that often happens to Micaila “Mickey” Britto-Patten. She’s standing with other United States veterans, and she watches as people come up and thank the men in the group for their service, moving right past her as if she were invisible.

The Taunton native retired as a corporal from the Marine Corps in 1994 due to service injuries after serving her country for more than seven years stateside and in Japan. After her tour of duty, she said she felt like she came home and simply “melted” back into society.

Melted, as in disappeared.

“This has been something that’s stuck in my head for a long time,” the art major said.

She adds that female service members have done their part in every war from the American Revolution on, but have not always been given the credit and respect for their sacrifices.

Her summer project, carried out as part of the Adrian Tinsley Program (ATP) for Undergraduate Research, was a comprehensive photo essay featuring female veterans from the Vietnam era through today. The images, some of which are shown on the next two pages, were printed as 11 x 14 portraits and displayed at the ATP symposium at summer’s end.

Amy Lovera, assistant professor in the Department of Art and Art History, is her research mentor.

Micaila works full time as director of Veterans Services of Fall River and studies at BSU part time. She plans to graduate in a few years with a concentration in photography. In June, she was the keynote speaker at the annual meeting of the Massachusetts Women Veterans Network. She hopes her story, continued advocacy and photos (through local exhibitions and other means) will help female veterans get the attention and respect they deserve.

“Women are now the fastest growing demographic in the military and as veterans,” she said. “It’s a matter of fact that women can serve, are serving and will continue to serve.”

“I am grateful I have been able to work with veterans on a daily basis, letting them know what their benefits are and how to access programs which will enhance their lives.

“The ��Ƶ�� Adrian Tinsley Program for Undergraduate Research grant has allowed me to use not only my voice, but the voices of all women veterans. Allowing me to create this work of photography has been so fulfilling. And for this I am grateful beyond words. Thank you BSU!”

F. Martha Green: U.S. Army, Captain; Nurse, 312th Evacuation Hospital, Chu Lai, Vietnam, 1967-1970

Kristi Williams: U.S. Army, Captain; 66C Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse, 2011-2016 (active duty), 2016-present (Army Reserves)

Torrie Osterholm: U.S. Air Force, E-4 Senior Airmen; 90310-Nutritional Medicine-Medic, 1987-1991

Roseann Trionfi-Mazzuchelli: U.S. Army, E-6 Staff Sergeant; Army Criminal Investigation Division Special Agent, 1979-2000

Kirsten Davis: U.S. Air Force, E-4 Senior Airmen; Aircraft Guidance and Control Systems Technicians, 1994-1998

Yes

“I am grateful I have been able to work with veterans on a daily basis, letting them know what their benefits are and how to access programs which will enhance their lives.

“The ��Ƶ�� Adrian Tinsley Program for Undergraduate Research grant has allowed me to use not only my voice, but the voices of all women veterans. Allowing me to create this work of photography has been so fulfilling. And for this I am grateful beyond words. Thank you BSU!”

Micaila “Mickey” Britto-Patten

Tags

Undergraduate Research

Veterans Center

Rolling with the Changes

HHARRIS@bridgew.edu — Tue, 12 Jan 2021 13:13:19 +0000

Rolling with the Changes HHARRIS@bridgew.edu Tue, 01/12/2021 - 08:13

Military musician serves his country in ways he once couldn’t have imagined

January 12, 2021

Heather Harris Michonski

When senior Jordan Snow received orders that his Vermont National Guard unit was called into active duty this past spring in response to the COVID-19 crisis, he wasn’t sure how he was going to balance service and school.

He left ��Ƶ�� in March with his military uniform in one hand, his academic books in the other.

“We didn’t really know why (we were activated), but once we were there it was off to the races,” Jordan said.

He soon discovered the job was to build a field hospital with 500 beds, running water and electricity in Essex Junction.

Jordan had previous military experience, but none of that included carpentry or plumbing.

Prior to coming to BSU to study social work, the Vermont native first attended Boston’s Berklee College of Music. He didn’t graduate, opting to travel and live in Europe where he taught guitar on an Air Force base.

It was a conversation with one of his students that inspired him to enlist in the military.

The student was upset and confided in Jordan, sharing that she had only seen her father twice in the past two years because of his military service.

It was a defining moment for the then 22-year-old.

“I thought about her father serving our country and decided that’s what I needed to be doing,” Jordan said.

He enlisted and served four years as a Marine bandsman. His responsibilities included recruitment and performing at military ceremonies. He never was required to build anything, let alone a working hospital. So, when he arrived in Vermont as a new member of the National Guard, there was a bit of a learning curve.

“Keep in mind I’m a musician going back to school for social work, I knew nothing about electricity or plumbing,” Jordan said.

Things developed further when he and his unit were trained to be orderlies at the hospital they built, another area in which Jordan had no experience. Still, he rallied.

“I look at it as I signed up to serve, and that’s what I’m doing,” Jordan said.

As the number of coronavirus patients fluctuated, his unit stayed in Vermont through October before being released. When numbers flared up after Thanksgiving, Jordan and his unit were called back to Vermont to assist.

It became increasingly obvious to Jordan that performing his duties in the guard and studying for school was becoming nearly impossible.

“I didn’t have the ability to concentrate on Bridgewater and do what I needed to in Vermont,” Jordan said.

As more patients filled the hospital, he struggled to get his assignments in. So, he reached out to his professors for help.

“They came in clutch for me,” he said.

Every email, every phone call he made was met with encouragement, assuring him that it would all be okay.

“Because of the support from the Bridgewater community, I was able to step away from my classes and not worry. There wasn’t a professor who didn’t support me,” Jordan said.

Professor Dr. David O’Malley has been particularly helpful.

“He goes above and beyond to ensure I have what I need to continue to be successful and a plan to come back,” Jordan said.

When he does return to BSU to resume his studies, Jordan’s goal will be to pursue a career in social work upon graduating.

“For me to be successful, I need a purpose in life. I really want to help people that can’t help themselves. I believe I will be able to find my purpose through social work,” he said.

Do you have a BSU story you'd like to share? Email stories@bridgew.edu

Because of the support from the Bridgewater community, I was able to step away from my classes and not worry. There wasn’t a professor who didn’t support me.

Jordan Snow

Tags

Veterans Center

Serving the Vulnerable

JFINKELSTEIN@bridgew.edu — Thu, 03 Dec 2020 20:31:54 +0000

Serving the Vulnerable JFINKELSTEIN@b… Thu, 12/03/2020 - 15:31

Senior’s graduation postponed while he helps veterans and others in time of crisis

October 1, 2020

John Winters, G’11

Story Series

Bridgewater Magazine

Connor Beaumont was on track to graduate with his friends last May.

Then the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and the Massachusetts Army National Guardsman found himself trading his BSU classes for the tough job of assisting some of the state’s most vulnerable residents as the virus raged across the state.

The Dracut native worked from early April to the latter half of May at the Soldiers’ Home in Holyoke, which during the spring was one of the state’s hotspots for COVID-19.

“We provided some very intensive care,” Connor said.

He estimates that of the approximately 240 residents at the home, more than 200 had contracted COVID-19; Connor saw many of them die from it.

The Soldiers’ Home is a health care facility that serves veterans, and Connor was one of approximately 300 medical and logistics personnel from the Air Force and Army National Guard sent to work there. “It meant a lot to us because they’re all veterans, meaning we had a baseline connection with them,” he said. “It was often hard work, but it was important work.” The mission included helping the staff with day-to-day care of the residents.

Connor, who has a passion for music and is a multi-instrumentalist, first thought of attending the University of Lowell’s sound recording technology program. Knowing the competition for jobs in that field could be exceedingly tough, he began checking out possibilities at the state’s other public institutions. “Bridgewater was the first one I toured, and I loved the campus,” he said. “Something about it felt really good to me.”

He became a communication studies major and competed with the track and field squad. Regularly contacted by military recruiters, with an interest in the armed services (he’d considered joining the Marines out of high school) and a proud family heritage of military service, including a grandfather who was a doctor in Vietnam and two great uncles who stormed the beaches of Normandy on D-Day, Connor decided to listen to what the recruiters had to say. In the summer of 2018, he joined the Army National Guard out of Worcester.

“When I looked into the Guard, I saw they had more benefits for what I wanted to do at the time than the reserves,” he said. “I didn’t want to go immediately on active duty because I wanted to finish school.” The National Guard allowed him to delay his official entry. His extensive training took many months of sacrifice, as well as many weekends, and included some medical training. When the pandemic hit Massachusetts, Connor was ready to serve.

At first he was stationed in Worcester, where he screened his fellow Guardsmen to make sure they were virus-free before being deployed around the state. Then he got the call to report to the Soldiers’ Home.

After his roughly six weeks on that mission, Connor could have returned to civilian life. But he opted to stay on, and was subsequently sent for three to 10 days at a time during the balance of May and throughout June to four other assisted living facilities across the state, places that also had been hit hard by COVID-19. “I wanted to stay on because I wanted to do my part to help out,” he said.

Knowing he was helping a population in dire need was just one of the rewards of his service. “It was a great experience on the medical side,” Connor said. “A lot of the Army training is pre-hospital and emergency care, we don’t get a lot of experience with direct patient care.”

Now that he’s seen what that’s like, Connor is at a career crossroads. His plan to enter the public relations field is competing with a newfound interest in medicine. His training already qualifies him to work as an EMT. “I’ll have to spend some time making up my mind,” he said.

For his work on the front lines of the pandemic, Connor was promoted in late summer from private first class to specialist. It’s a rank that usually takes two years to attain, but exceptional service can lead to this requirement being waived. The honor was bestowed in a ceremony presided over by Brigadier General John Driscoll.

"Bridgewater was the first one I toured, and I loved the campus, something about it felt really good to me."

Connor Beaumont

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COVID-19

Veterans Center

Reporting for Duty

HHARRIS@bridgew.edu — Fri, 31 Jul 2020 18:08:19 +0000

Reporting for Duty HHARRIS@bridgew.edu Fri, 07/31/2020 - 14:08

Graduate’s commitment to serve continues with his ‘dream job’

August 6, 2020

Heather Harris Michonski

Instead of racing across campus to make it to class on time, Justin Caverio, G ’19, used to finish work on the Hanscom Air Force Base then find a quiet spot to join his ��Ƶ�� classmates who were sitting in a classroom 46 miles away. They were connected via a live video link.

Through a special arrangement facilitated with the help of his BSU advisers, including Dr. Katherine Bender, Caverio was able to earn his master’s degree in student affairs counseling while simultaneously working full-time for the Massachusetts National Guard.

This was prior to COVID-19, where video conferencing wasn’t the norm.

Bender, assistant professor in Counselor Education and graduate chairperson for student affairs counseling, said meeting students where they are is key these days.

“Justin is a great example of how the flexibility of our program really allows people to be successful on their own terms,” she said.

Caverio has 21 years of active military service, four with the Marine Corps and the rest with the Guard. He began the student affairs counseling program at BSU in 2016, with a goal of graduating in two years. But in 2017, the military called on him to travel to Kosovo, where he led a community outreach program. There, he worked with local teenagers at risk for joining ISIS or falling prey to other forms of extremism.

It so happened Caverio was able to take the information he was learning as a grad student and apply it in real time while performing his military duties.

“I was actually applying it as I learned. It was almost like an unintended internship,” he said.

While serving in Kosovo, he also received support from his fellow BSU classmates who sent care packages. Inside were goodies that included a Bridgewater State water bottle and other school-spirited gear.

“It was really cool and one of the reasons I have a special relationship with Bridgewater,” Caverio said.

Upon returning home from Kosovo, he knew he wanted to finish graduate school. He picked up where he left off and earned his master’s degree in December.

Caverio has since retired from the military, though he isn’t completely leaving that part of his life behind. This past January he started a new career as director of the Veteran’s Center at Bristol Community College, where he’d earned a degree in 2001. Together he and his team work to support veterans and their family members. Part of his job includes assisting with veteran benefits, but that’s not all he does.

“We are not only involved in helping academically and processing benefits for education, but also help student veterans and their families when they actually need it,” Caverio said. “We have a really good team and it’s fun to work here.”

Bender is thrilled to see where Justin has landed and hopes he will be able to advocate for veteran students and build more connections between BCC and BSU.

“I am so proud of Justin for securing this position. He has always been a student with a plan…he wanted to support and advise students in personal and academic and career transitions,” she said. “So, while his program of study may have been interrupted, and it may have taken him longer than he wanted, Justin finished his degree and has his dream job.”

Do you have a BSU story you'd like to share? Email stories@bridgew.edu

The staff and faculty were really awesome.They really set me up for success in the program and helped me configure all of my classes.

Justin Caverio, G'19

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Veterans Center

Alumni Profile

Photo by Carl Hollant