Student of the Month

Meet Tia McKinnie, U.S. Army Officer & DCP Student

Being in a position to lead and affect change, rather than caring about ranks and titles, is a guiding principle for Tia McKinnie, an active-duty Captain in the U.S. Army. McKinnie is currently enrolled in the Defense Comptrollership Program (DCP), a prestigious and intensive 14-month program of study specifically for career-level financial managers in the Department of Defense (DoD). Upon graduating this summer, McKinnie will cross the stage with an M.B.A. and Executive M.P.A. from Syracuse University’s Whitman School of Management and Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs.

Hometown Hero: Felicia Showers

Syracuse University Army ROTC Cadet and New York Army National Guard Sergeant, Felicia Showers, hails from Waterloo, New York. She enlisted in the New York Army National Guard in 2014 as Geospatial Intelligence Imagery Analyst and served in the 152nd Brigade Engineer Battalion.

Military-Connected Student of the Month: Chris Giglio

For many, joining the military is as much a matter of family tradition as it is a commitment to serve. For Syracuse graduate student and third-generation Naval officer Chris Giglio, it was also a matter of building on a personal history.

Military-Connected Student of the Month: Kelvin Nyamalor

It’s not every day a student arrives on campus with their whole life tucked away into a single military duffle bag, but for Kelvin Nyamalor, a student veteran at Syracuse University, that was exactly how he arrived.

Military-Connected Student of the Month: Oliver Posewitz ’20

Every student at Syracuse University has their own unique story, whether they enroll straight out of high school or as a non-traditional student returning to begin a second career. Some students overcome serious challenges; some attend as part of a Syracuse family legacy.  For Oliver Posewitz ’20, a senior in the School of Information Studies, it was a bit of both.

Military-Connected Student of the Month: Hanna McNabb ’21

“When I was talking to the recruiter, I found that they had paralegals in the Army,” says Hanna McNabb. “I had decided I wanted to one day become a lawyer, a prosecutor to be specific, and I thought being a paralegal might be a good first step on that path.”

Military-Connected Student of the Month: Caleb Holmes

For some college students, juggling classes, a social life and a job is challenging enough. As non-traditional students become more of a fixture on college campuses, more students are juggling marriage, children, mortgage payments, car payments and family medical appointments while pursuing their academic goals. Such is the reality for Syracuse University student veteran Caleb Holmes, a senior studying electrical engineering.