Bridging the Gap from Service to School

By Debbie Gregory.

The Warrior-Scholar Project (WSP) has been empowering Veterans to realize their full potential as students.

WSP is now accepting applications for its 2016 academic boot camps. These programs are held during the summer at top universities nationwide and aim to facilitate enlisted veterans’ transition from the military to college.

The Warrior-Scholar Project believes that military Veterans not only possess the necessary skills to succeed on the campuses of prestigious universities, but that they are capable of being student leaders among their classmates. Despite the fact that many Veterans are several years removed from any form of academic endeavors, the founders of the Warrior-Scholar Project believe that the motivation to achieve mission accomplishment, honed through their military service, drives Veterans to academic success.

Through the program, participants learn skills like “ninja reading,” how to structure academic papers and the art of self-editing. But more importantly, the program breathes new life into these unconventional students’ academic dreams.

The programs are open to enlisted veterans and transitioning current service members who plan to enroll in or transfer into a four-year undergraduate program. WSP donors cover all program costs for accepted students, except transportation.

Co-founded by Jesse Reising, Chris Howell and Nick Rugoff, the idea for the Warrior-Scholar Project was sparked when Reising, a Marine Corps Officer Candidate, was recuperating from an injury he sustained during a football game between Yale and Harvard. One hit ended Reising’s military career. But the support that he received during his recovery prompted Reising and his co-founders to provide similar support for the men and women who served and are now using their Veteran education benefits.

The intensive two week-long workshop includes:

• Academic reading and writing
• Adapting to changed social circumstances
• Translating skills used and acquired in the military to the college environment

Interested student veterans can start the application process online. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, and students may be asked to complete an additional phone interview. Applications will be accepted until March 14, 2016, and all students will receive responses by early April 2016.