Melanie Jensen/Fourth Estate

Military-affiliated students use their unique strengths for their education journey  

BY MELANIE JENSEN, STAFF WRITER 

A small office of veterans looking to guide other military-affiliated students sits hidden in the hallways of the Student Union Building on the northwest side of Mason’s Fairfax campus. Without the guidance of the front desk attendant, students may hardly know the office is there.

Similarly, veteran students often blend into the crowd. Yet, their resiliency, dedication to their education and willingness to help others make them stand out from other Patriots. 

According to Jennifer Connors, director and founder of the Office of Military Services, about 10% of Mason’s student population is military-connected–meaning they are active duty, on reserve, a veteran, or a dependent of a serviceperson. Connors said this figure represents students who either self-report on their Mason application or apply for federal education benefits. 

Rylee Ledoux served four years in the Air Force before applying to Mason for her undergraduate degree in Environmental Science. Recently accepted into an accelerated master’s program at Mason, Ledoux credits her military experience for her commitment to education. 

“The Air Force is very education-focused, and it’s pushed a lot when you’re on active duty to take classes or to use your tuition assistance,” Ledoux said. “So, being in the Air Force may be a little bit easier to transition into college.”

Ledoux entered the Air Force shortly after graduating high school, serving at Little Rock Air Force Base in Arkansas, where she worked in the communicable diseases rotation of public health, including studying ticks and other bugs with entomologists. It was there that her love for environmental science began, and where she met her close friend Briannah Colton.

Colton, a pre-med Biology major, followed Ledoux when she transitioned to Mason after serving six years in the Air Force. Colton originally attempted to attend college right after high school but realized she didn’t have the financial means to continue. She then enlisted in the Air Force under a strict agreement with her recruiter to be placed  in public health. 

“I didn’t really know what I wanted to do until after my journey in the Air Force. So being in public health is kind of what cemented my choice in medicine,” Colton said.

While pursuing their degrees, Ledoux and Colton both work in the Office of Military Services, allowing them to connect with Mason’s military community, including student-employees like Kyle Klopfenstein.

Klopfenstein, a junior at Mason majoring in Government and International Politics, served six years as a combat engineer in the Army. He described his job as keeping Army forces moving while slowing down enemy forces with tools like wire obstacles and high explosives. 

“Combat engineers are kind of like the pocketknife of the Army. We have a function for just about everything. Do you have a door you want blown in? We can do that. A minefield, you need a path blasted through, or someone to go IED [improvised explosive device] hunting? That’s us,” Klopfenstein said.

Though he credits his combat experience for building resilience, Klopfenstein described the Army as a “soul-crushing palace of depression,” and felt like his work lacked purpose. Seeking to make a real difference, he turned to higher education.  

Klopfenstein’s combat experience gives him a unique perspective when advising students about service. He prides himself on brutal honesty, offering a well-rounded view without the typical glorification from recruiters. 

Along with advising, Connors and Military Services help students select a VA-approved major, obtain a Certificate of Eligibility for benefits, submit a Veterans Registration and Reporting Form to certify those benefits and more. Most benefits are accessed through different chapters of the GI Bill, an act signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1944 to  provide education assistance to veterans after World War II. 

The Office of Military Services was founded in 2011 after Connors saw a need for  a designated support office for the military community on campus–one that could assist with navigating college life and applying for federal benefits through the Department of Veterans Affairs. 

“Our goal is to assist military and veteran families from the point of admission through graduation, ensure education benefits work efficiently and smoothly and try to remove barriers that present during the lifecycle of a student,” said Connors, who served 25 years in the Air Force.

While Military Services’ efforts often go unseen by the greater Mason community, Klopfenstein hopes traditional students will begin advocating for veterans on campus. 

“When our nation’s leaders call for military action, they’re making a bet. They’re not betting with their own lives, they’re betting with ours,” he said. “That’s why we need to take special care to elect leaders who have a plan to make tangible improvements to the VA.”