News

Meet Tillman Scholar Natasha DeLeon

When Natasha DeLeon opted to join the military after high school, one of the reasons she decided to enlist was that she understood the value of an education. She was also well-aware there was a financial cost required to obtain it. While the G.I. Bill is a well-known educational benefit for military service, each branch of the military has unique benefits for servicemembers seeking to better themselves through higher education, and for DeLeon the educational benefits were among her top priorities in terms of what she was seeking.

Hometown Hero: Raul Rosique, Jr.

United States Navy veteran Raul Rosique was born in Delano, California, and raised in Richgrove, California. Raul shipped out to boot camp a few months after his high school graduation at age 18 in 2014. Raul’s enlistment was for five years, and he was set to be attached to a Nuclear Submarine as a Logistic Specialist. After completing logistical training in Mississippi and Submarine training in Connecticut, he received orders to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii which luckily ended up being his only duty station.

Amanda Lalonde Discovers Passion For Helping Others

Amanda Lalonde ’23 isn’t your typical college student. And yet, she is. She takes a full course load, has an internship, is involved in several student organizations and is an orientation leader. But at the end of the day, she goes home to her husband and three children.

Hometown Hero: Richard M. Jones

United States Army Staff Sergeant (Retired) and three-time Syracuse University alum, Richard M. Jones, was born and raised in Utica, New York. Rich comes from a military family and his passion for service was inspired by their service. His paternal grandfather was a member of the 29th Infantry Division, one of the first soldiers to land at Omaha Beach.

Hometown Hero: Mike and Colleen Drum

Mike Drum’s and Colleen Shuster’s amazing journey to Syracuse University began with both serving in the United States Marine Corps. Mike was born and raised in Syracuse, New York, and he enlisted in the US Marine Corps Reserve as an Infantry Rifleman in July 2010 following his high school graduation.

Hometown Hero: Jack Pullano

The United States Air Force Veteran Jack Pullano was born in Amherst, New York, and he was raised in Hopkinton, New York. Three weeks after graduating high school in 2017, Jack enlisted in the United States Air Force serving on active duty for four years. After completing basic training at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas, and Fuels tech school in Wichita Falls, Texas, Jack received orders to Kadena, Air Base, located in Okinawa Japan. While stationed at Kadena, he was a Fuels Journeyman with the 18th Logistics Readiness Squadron and a member of the only Pacific Air Force’s Special Operations Forward Area Refueling Point Team under the 353rd Special Operations Group.

Student Veterans Take on Summer Internships Thanks to OVMA Internship Award

Over the 2022 summer semester, eight student veterans at Syracuse University were able to take part in a time-honored college experience that typically eludes non-traditional students–they became interns. They were able to experience the firsthand benefit of an internship thanks in large part to the Office of Veteran and Military Affairs’ (OVMA) Undergraduate Internship Award. The OVMA established the award to eliminate barriers that often prevent student veterans from participating in summer internships and deprive them of one of the most lucrative opportunities for job placement after graduation.