Student veteran, Savion Pollard ’25, finds community on campus and will be the first Syracuse University student to intern at Micron Technology.
Savion Pollard ’25 grew up feeling like a small fish in a big pond. Originally from Queens, New York, he says he eventually wanted to get out and see more of the world.
So, what’s a city dweller to do when he decides to leave skyscrapers and subways behind in search of discovering himself? For Pollard, the answer was to join the military. After studying accounting in New York City, Pollard enlisted in the U.S. Navy and eventually served as a nuclear engineering electronics technician on a submarine.
Quite the change from life in the Big Apple.
Pollard says he discovered a passion for engineering during his assignment and wanted to learn more about it after he left the Navy. “When I was about a year away from leaving the Navy, I had to decide what I wanted to do next. I wasn’t quite ready to go straight to work as a technician and wanted to gain more knowledge and use the skills that I gained in the military. So, I decided to come to Syracuse University.” Pollard is now majoring in electrical engineering in the College of Engineering and Computer Science, choosing to pursue his studies at Syracuse not only because of the strength of the program but also the University’s career resources and the network of support for veterans.
Supportive Student Veteran Services
Making the transition to full-time student was difficult for Pollard, but he says the veteran services at Syracuse made it easier. “The resources at Syracuse are great,” Pollard says. Soon after arriving at Syracuse, Pollard made connections with other veterans, members of the military community and representatives from the Office of Veterans and Military Affairs. “I felt a real connection with the people here at Syracuse.”
The services offered to veterans proved to be helpful for Pollard. The Office of Veterans Success helped him with his veterans benefits and the staff in Veterans Career Services helped him strengthen his resume.
Surprising even himself, Pollard made friends with traditional students. “As a veteran, I thought I wouldn’t feel connected to traditional students, but that wasn’t the case. Most of my closest friends at Syracuse are traditional students. It’s amazing to have that connection with students that are many years younger than me, but I can still learn from them, and they can learn from me,” Pollard says.