In celebration of Veterans Week 2019, the University is recognizing stories of student veterans and faculty/staff who are veterans or have especially strong connections to the military. These stories are just some of the many from the veteran and military-connected community on campus whom the University is dedicated to supporting. From welcoming veterans to campus as far back as World War I, and having the longest consecutively running ROTC program in the country, the University is committed to being the “best place for veterans.”
Today, read the stories of Whitman School student Amanda Sullivan ’21 and Ken Marfilius ’11, visiting teaching professor in the Falk College’s School of Social Work.
Amanda Sullivan on Finding Direction through Family Legacy and Army Service
Ask any student veteran at Syracuse University about why they joined the military, and you’ll get a different answer each time. Military service is a personal choice, and most of the time it extends beyond a simple “I didn’t know what else I wanted to do.” For U.S. Army veteran Amanda Sullivan, it was a way to get out of a rut and achieve her goals in life.
“I grew up in the Chicago suburb of Aurora, Illinois, and was homeschooled,” says Sullivan, a junior accounting major in the Whitman School. “My mother was a refugee from the Vietnam War, and my dad worked at Fermilab as an engineering physicist. So, education was pretty important to me growing up.”
Sullivan played soccer and softball in her youth, but it was time spent with her grandfather who served for two years in the U.S. Army during the Korean War that steered her course.
“I had gotten to a point where I was uncertain about which direction I should go,” Sullivan says. “I remembered some of the stories my grandfather had told me about his time in the Army and things just clicked. I spoke to an Army recruiter and knew exactly what I wanted to do. I wanted to finish my education and travel to have my own stories in the future.”
Read the full story on Amanda.
Professor Ken Marfilius and Enduring Service
U.S. Air Force veteran Ken Marfilius ’11, visiting teaching professor in the Falk College’s School of Social Work, has always been clear on his mission to serve military and veteran populations.
“I grew up outside of Philadelphia with many friends, family and local community members who had served in the military. As a result of my childhood experiences, I had great respect for those who have served our nation honorably and was always interested in serving the veteran population in some capacity,” Marfilius says.
He graduated from Syracuse University with his undergraduate degree in psychology. He went on to earn a master of social work degree and a doctorate in clinical social work at the University of Pennsylvania. While at Penn, he learned of a unique opportunity in which he could serve military service members and their families while in uniform.
“I researched all branches of the military and eventually applied to the United States Air Force Health Professions Scholarship Program (HPSP). After an intense and competitive process, I was selected to receive the graduate scholarship available to qualified health care applicants—receiving a direct commission in the Air Force while completing my graduate studies at the University of Pennsylvania,” says Marfilius.
Read the full story on Ken Marfilius.