“The few. The proud. The Marines.”
This slogan applies to less than one percent of Americans, and it’s not hard to understand why. It takes months of grueling training coupled with intense mental and physical fortitude to complete the entire training regimen. Becoming a Marine is not in the cards for most of us, but Jordan Golden from Pelham, Alabama, intuitively knew being a part of the U.S. Marine Corps was his passion. He followed his dream, enlisted, endured three months of boot camp then conquered the Crucible as the final obstacle standing in the way of becoming a U.S. Marine. With this final triumph, Jordan officially became one of the few and the proud in 2015.
During his years of service, Jordan suffered various injuries and medical issues. Taking these new limitations into consideration for his future, he recognized his active time with the Marine Corps was coming to an end, and he returned home to Alabama. Despite this somber ending of a dream, he looks back on his time with the Marines in a positive light.
“It was definitely an interesting experience for me, coming from a rural part of Alabama and being a quiet, shy kid… you definitely have to learn to grow and develop very quickly in the Marine Corps. It’s made me who I am today and it’s a fantastic experience,” he said.
Now that he was back home[AD1] in the Yellowhammer state, he set his sights on a new dream: obtaining a college degree. He didn’t stress much in his search for the right university, because he already knew The University of Alabama was his first and only choice. Having grown up so close to the Capstone, he had visited several times in the past and was well aware of the excitement and opportunity surrounding UA.
“UA was absolutely my top choice. I grew up an Alabama fan. I’ve always loved the atmosphere, the school itself and the aesthetics of the landscape and architecture on campus. I’ve been here several times before I joined the Marine Corps and each new day still feels like a fresh experience.”
Although it was easy to pick a school, Jordan soon realized that being a student veteran came with its own set of challenges. There are many quirks derived from his time in the military that make his educational experience much different from that of a regular student. Transitioning from a Marine to a student while dealing with sustained injuries and navigating official paperwork is no easy task, even for a Marine! Fortunately for Jordan, UA has an award-winning team of professionals dedicated to helping students like him.
The Office of Veteran and Military Affairs (VMA) at the Capstone works tirelessly year-round to meet the distinctive needs of student veterans, active service members, dependents and survivors as they work to complete their higher education. They understand the unique difficulties these students face in their day-to-day lives, and they do whatever they can to ensure the military-affiliated students have positive experiences at UA. Whether they’re helping a student veteran enroll in VA healthcare, assisting a dependent with their GI® Bill or helping them access the one-of-a-kind VA satellite clinic on campus, the VMA staff provide invaluable services and support to the military-affiliated students on campus. Jordan is just one of the hundreds of students that VMA helps in a given week, and he sings their praises as he recalls how they first assisted him as a student.
“VMA significantly helped me prepare for how to approach a school and work-force environment with the injuries I have. . . They understood the challenges I went through. . . so they were able to provide me with resources from the school from people who understood what I was going through. They made this an environment that was comfortable and helped me learn how to adjust to this new world.”
Alongside its abundant programs and resources, VMA also has a more informal way of assisting its student groups through its sponsorship of the Campus Veterans Association (CVA). The CVA is a student organization providing an intentional social network of support for student veterans, service members, dependents and survivors. Through the CVA, these students bond over their shared experiences in the armed forces or growing up in military families. It also serves as a gateway for new and/or returning students to make friends quickly and easily. The CVA currently supports anywhere from 150 to 200 students. Jordan serves as president of the CVA and spoke on how his involvement has enhanced his college experience so far.
“I joined the CVA literally the first day I got here. I’ve met some of my best friends through the CVA and I love every second of it. Having a family of veterans and dependents that understands the challenges the military brings is helpful because we’re able to relate to each other. Having the veteran community around me made UA such a home environment for me,” he said.
Jordan encourages any applicable, military-affiliated student at UA to utilize the CVA and be a part of the group that’s improved his college experience.
“Please, come use our resources. Use your access to the VMA space, use our study halls and, more importantly, come be a part of this family with us. We’re always here to help and provide for you. Even if you just need a place to come hang out, a comfy place to sit down and talk to people who relate to you, we’re it.”
From his time in the Marine Corps to his time as a student veteran at UA, Jordan has shown incredible resolve and dedication to his goals. Although he’s no longer in the armed forces, he’ll always have his military brothers and sisters close at heart thanks to their connections in VMA and the CVA.
“My experience has been fantastic with the VMA. I think UA does the best at streamlining the process of getting out of the military to getting into a college classroom. The CVA provided me with ample opportunities to meet, network, have friends and grow my social and career paths. Everything at the University has been helpful because these are people with resources that want to help. Speaking for both myself and the other student veterans, we feel appreciated here.”