Inaugural recipients of Graduate School veteran assistantships named

Three military veterans will begin earning their master’s degrees at UNC Charlotte aided by substantial awards provided by the University’s Graduate School. The funding, called assistantships, will cover tuition and health insurance, plus a $12,000 annual stipend. Total value of each assistantship is roughly $36,000. The awards require the students to aid professors in their departments with research and teaching.

Associate Provost and Graduate School Dean Tom Reynolds initiated the program that will select three military veterans each year to receive the two-year awards to pursue master’s or doctoral degrees.

“This is the first year we are providing these awards recognizing the selfless service of our military veterans,” he explained. “It’s my hope this effort will aid these veterans as they navigate the challenging transition from military service to the private sector.” Reynolds is a U.S. Navy veteran of the Vietnam War.

This year’s selected veterans represent the U.S. Army and Air Force.

Charlotte native LaKeysha Sawyer will begin studies toward a Master of Social Work after completing a bachelor’s degree this May from UNC Charlotte. She transferred to the University after earning an associate’s degree from Central Piedmont Community College. An eight-year veteran of the Army Reserves, Sawyer credited her military experience with teaching her skills in collaboration and working as a team. She plans to focus on research and program development in the field of social work.

The transition from military to civilian life has been a challenge since her deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

“I struggled with readjustment to the norms of daily life,” she acknowledged. “For a long time, anxiety kept me away from crowded malls, festivals and shopping centers. While driving, I would avoid objects as simple as grocery bags and food containers in the road.” Sawyer hopes to turn her academic skills toward helping other veterans and their families.

Nathan Lambert will complete his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering in May from UNC Charlotte. He plans to continue his studies in the Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering and Engineering Science program with a particular interest in robotics, rocketry and space propulsion.

During nearly five years in the U.S. Army, Lambert was an infantryman; he served in Iraq and Afghanistan. Originally from Asheboro, N.C., he completed his active duty service in 2008 and then earned an associate’s degree from Central Piedmont Community College.

Lambert credits the military with giving him the confidence to succeed. “My time in the military taught me that people can do amazing things so long as they never stop trying,” Lambert noted. He said in the military there is often no “safety net,” so the key is to “keep moving forward.”

Re-entering the private sector was hard for Lambert following his combat deployments. “I struggled with the effects of PTSD, and like many veterans, I felt I was the only one experiencing these symptoms,” he observed. Additionally, age and background created problems. “I had very different life experiences than many of my classmates, and that made it difficult to find common ground,” he said. “Eventually, I was able to find a group of veterans who helped me through the process.”

U.S. Air Force veteran Tracy (Stanley) Valero plans to earn a Master of Health Administration degree. She considers her seven years of service “one of the most influential periods of my life.” A New Jersey native, she credits the Air Force with revealing her full potential. Valero entered college following high school but found she wasn’t ready. “It was evident that I had the drive and passion but lacked the maturity and discipline to continue that path,” she said. She recognizes now that when she enlisted she had a strong work ethic but lacked direction and confidence. “The military took me in as a confused teenager and shaped me into a leader with a passion to succeed,” Valero said.

As a health services management specialist, Valero served in the United States and England and deployed to Moldova in 2007 on a NATO combat exercise. She continued to take college classes while on active duty then completed her bachelor’s degree in health management through Park University, Kansas City, Mo., after separating from the Air Force. She stated, “I am a health care administrator; this is what I care about and this is where I am meant to be.” Valero enjoys the research, policy and process aspects of health care. “My long-term goal is to return to the military population and become a health care administrator with the Department of Veteran Affairs,” she said. “I plan to dedicate my career to giving back to our county and serving those who have served.”

Reynolds, dean of the Graduate School, noted that outreach to and support for veterans is embedded in UNC Charlotte’s identity.

“Since 1946, when we were established as the Charlotte Center to serve returning World War II veterans, our institution has maintained its focus on supporting this important population,” Reynolds says. “I am proud to be carrying on that tradition through these assistantships awarded to these great veterans.”