Priscilla Cruz ’24 joined the U.S. Army when she was 17 years old. Utilizing the split training option her junior year, she completed her basic combat training that summer and her advanced individual training the summer after her senior year. She currently serves in the Army Reserve as a logistics officer and is preparing to graduate with a degree in information management and technology from Syracuse University’s School of Information Studies (iSchool) and start the next phase of her career. Now she’s taking her experience as a student veteran, a member of the Blackstone LaunchPad at Syracuse University Libraries and a community service volunteer with her.
How did your military experience influence your decision to attend Syracuse University?
I’ve had a great role model in my uncle, who is a military veteran. I saw how it benefited his life. He attributes a lot of his success to the military because it instilled discipline, leadership and many great skills that he took into his civilian career. I can attest to the same outcome with the skills I’ve acquired.
After the military, I went to Valley Forge Military College, where I did ROTC, studied security studies and received a cybersecurity certificate. Then, when I decided to pursue further education, I chose Syracuse. Not only did Syracuse have the program I wanted but it’s military friendly. I did some research and saw that so many Syracuse alumni were also veterans, and that was attractive to me.
What has your experience as a student veteran been like?
It was tough in the beginning due to the difficulty of some classes, being away from family and being new to the area, so I tried to immerse myself in the resources to avoid driving home every weekend— there’s just so much offered in Syracuse, not just the University, but also in the community. For example, I volunteer with the Food Recovery Network, which donates leftover food from the dining halls to local homeless shelters/food banks. I’m motivated to do these things that maybe no one sees but are meaningful. I feel like that’s my calling.
I didn’t know how much the National Veterans Resource Center (NVRC) had to offer when I first started here! I started going to events there, like the etiquette dinner and career building events, and I met a lot of student veterans. There are so many resources inside and outside the NVRC—I’ve never been so appreciative of something in my life. I’ve grown so much as a person here. I don’t think I would’ve gotten this type of boost in confidence, professional skills and personal skills anywhere else.