My HPU Experience as a Veteran Student

Hello Everyone! This past weekend I had drill training, since I’m in the Army National Guard. So today, I’m still a little tired but ready for another full week. In this blog, I want to talk about my experience as a military student at HPU.

I joined the military right after I graduated high school in 2010. I originally applied and was accepted to HPU prior to enlisting. However, I knew that college was going to be very pricey for me, especially coming from a single- parent household. Therefore, I decided to join the military and was away from home in training for about 8 months. I was able to meet a lot of different people from all over the states and I feel like my military training experience pushed me to grow up a little faster than most of my peers and be more independent.

Upon returning home, in the fall of 2011, I called HPU to see if I had to re- apply to attend the fall semester. Long story short, I didn’t have to reapply and on top of my military education benefits, I was awarded the Ohana Scholarship. As a military student, I believe we come in with very unique experiences. Some of us have already had military careers and/or been deployed and even for younger soldiers like me, we already have been through rigorous physical and mental training. Furthering our college education allows us to pursue our career goals and utilize leadership skills we have gained in the force.

HPU’s military education staff has been nothing but pleasant and extremely helpful in walking me through all the paperwork and legal documentation that needed to be done in order to receive my education benefits. The staff is really knowledgeable and familiar with what needs to be done and I appreciate them very much.

One thing I really like about HPU, especially as a veteran, is that the university offers numerous ways to obtain a degree. You can attend the regular fall/spring semesters, Military Campus Program (an accelerated distance learning program for soldiers who work full time or do not want to attend the regular semesters), as well as the joint ROTC program with the University of Hawaii. On top of that, in the downtown campus military education center, there is a veteran’s lounge where you can study, relax over a snack or cup of coffee, utilize the computers, or even catch a quick episode of your favorite T.V show in between classes. I think that the veteran lounge is one of the best additions that HPU has made in helping veterans get reconnected in school.

All in all, I’m very glad that HPU recognizes the hard work and sacrifices that veterans make. HPU definitely shows respect to its military students and provides all the right avenues to pursue our education and career goals.

Alright folks, I’ll be back soon. Thanks for reading :]