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For Mark Constable, college seemed out of reach financially. That\u2019s why at 19, the Le Roy, N.Y., native joined the Navy.<\/p>\nOn Veterans Day, we recognize and honor the commitment of University of Rochester students, faculty, and staff who serve or have served in\u00a0our nation’s armed services.<\/p>\n
This year, there are more than 80 veteran students enrolled at the University. These are a few of their stories.<\/p>\n
For Mark Constable, college seemed out of reach financially. That\u2019s why at 19, the Le Roy, N.Y., native joined the Navy.<\/p>\n
For seven years, Constable served his country\u2014most of the time away from it. His training and duties took him around the world, from Australia to Spain, Nova Scotia to Somalia. As a Petty Officer, 2nd Class, he was tasked with logistics aboard the different ships, including inventory, arms security, fire-fighting drills, maintenance, and aviation supply.<\/p>\n
Constable was deployed three times during his service with the Navy, each time to the Arabian Gulf and Mediterranean Sea region. \u201cAfter several years, I found it was really arduous to be away from home so much of the time,\u201d he recalls.<\/p>\n
And so he returned to the States and decided to pursue his post-secondary education. Constable attended a community college in Pennsylvania before transferring to the University as a junior majoring in financial economics. \u201cIt\u2019s a good program,\u201d he says. \u201cI can go the logistics route or choose accounting, maybe finance.\u201d<\/p>\n
Transitioning to university life has been mostly hassle-free for Constable, despite being older than most of his classmates. His teammates in the Ultimate Frisbee Club, for example, at first refused to believe that he\u2019s 26-years-old. \u201cIt helps that I have a baby face,\u201d he jokes.<\/p>\n
Ultimately, serving his country was the right decision, providing Constable with access to an affordable education: \u201cIt\u2019s because of the Navy that I have this great opportunity to go to school.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Like many\u00a0high school students, Timothy Fezette went directly to college after graduating. While studying at a nearby state school, the Saranac Lake, N.Y., native realized he wanted to do something different.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s when he discovered the U.S. Marine Corps. \u201cAs part of the 9th Communication Battalion, they introduced me to electronics and fiber optics,\u201d he recalls.<\/p>\n
Fezette served stateside from 1999 to 2004. Afterward he continued working with electronics, including alarm systems and satellite televisions. However, an injury from his time in the military made the work physically difficult. Then the 2008 recession hit.<\/p>\n
\u201cI decided to go back to college. I figured it was better to design and create small electronics than to fix them.\u201d He earned an associate degree in engineering science before transferring to Rochester as a junior in The Institute of Optics.<\/p>\n
The transition has presented Fezette with new challenges. \u201cComing here is like jumping into the deep end of optics,\u201d he says. As a non-traditional student, Fezette faces additional hurdles, such as being much older than some of his classmates and making sure his credits transfer between institutions.<\/p>\n
But with a small program and increasing job opportunities in his field, Fezette remains optimistic about his future in optics.<\/p>\n
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\u201cI felt like I had a duty to serve my country before going to college,\u201d says Jacob Bettilyon, from Brockport, N.Y. So that\u2019s just what he did.<\/p>\n
Bettilyon joined the U.S. Marine Corps right after graduating high school in 2007. He served for five years as a sergeant in the infantry of two different units: 1st FAST (Fleet Anti-Terrorism Security Team Company) and 1st\u00a0Battalion 3rd Marines. During this time, he was deployed abroad three times\u2014to Cuba, Spain, and Afghanistan.<\/p>\n
\u201cI traveled around the country and the world preparing for deployment,\u201d says Bettilyon. He credits the experience with showing him how important it is to be educated.<\/p>\n
After returning from Afghanistan, Bettilyon attended junior college in California for two years before transferring to the University to study international relations. \u201cThis is a great school, one that offers veterans lots of support and services. That was something I was specifically looking at when applying\u2014and it\u2019s one of the reasons I came back to Rochester.\u201d<\/p>\n