������Ƶ

“As a chief petty officer in the U.S. Navy, the three letters ‘USN’ on the chief’s fouled anchor stand for unity, service, and navigation,” says McCleary. “Military service is just that, being a servant leader and serving my nation with honor, courage, and commitment.”

McCleary knew that he wanted to work in education after his military career and share his experience with others.

“Working in military voluntary education was the goal. I’m a product of military tuition assistance and veterans’ education benefits, so naturally I wanted to pass along the ‘how to’ to my active-duty and veteran brothers and sisters,” said McCleary.��

UMGC students and federal employees can access tuition assistance and veteran assistance, and having staff members who understand the process can help keep the process smooth and save students both time and money.��

“My military experience has helped me serve students in my current role. I have the experience of using military tuition assistance and veterans benefits to access continued education, and being able to speak the military lingo helps to make navigating the tuition assistance maze that much easier for students,” says McCleary. “I’ve also navigated life’s challenges while on active-duty and in post-military life as a veteran, so I can help learners be realistic about setting and achieving their own goals.”

At UMGC, we understand the unique benefits that veterans bring to the classroom, and the unique challenges they face when transitioning to civilian life.��

“Every learner has their own set of circumstances. Veterans especially need the support they have earned, and we use a holistic approach with veteran learners,” says McCleary. “Many of them separate from active-duty and find it challenging to reenter the civilian work force. Our approach is to help them build a foundation to succeed. After all, someone took the time to help me, so now it’s my turn to pay it forward.”

William Stevens’ passion for serving others helped him succeed both in the military and at UMGC.��

William Stevens is a U.S. Air Force veteran who served for more than eight years and is now associate director of enrollment operations and special programs for UMGC Asia. He has held several positions at UMGC, including student representative, schedule analyst, and senior associate registrar.��

“I remember being in classes when 9/11 happened. I was over here in Japan, and everything changed that evening for us,” says Stevens. “My teachers were the ones coming out to me at my workplace duty and sharing notes and covering topics when I was unable to attend class.”

For veterans at UMGC, Stevens suggests bringing your proven dedication and commitment to the classroom, and trusting yourself to help you succeed.

“Never doubt yourself. It was the experience of both being a student and a staff member, and now also as a teacher at UMGC, that helped to show me that if I truly want to pursue something, I can do it,” says Stevens. “We all start at the beginning, some of us just started our beginning a little later than others, however, it's about the finish.”

“If you've served in the military, you know that when your service is done, you don't leave the community,” says Stevens. “My military family is still a huge part of my life, even as we all get old, and they know they can ask me for anything. UMGC is the educational organization that makes those same ties and commitments to our military learners, because they are us.”

Our students who have served are proven leaders, and we are proud to support military servicemembers in every stage of their career.��

“Empathy is the largest thing we offer above other schools, and it permeates all the aspects of this university,” says Stevens. “We strive to build better educational roads for our vets, we offer resources to assist them with struggles outside of class, our teachers have grown with our students, in their classroom experiences.”