Student Spotlight: Angie DeRosa, U.S. Navy
Tell us a bit about yourself.
My name is Angie DeRosa, and I am from Dolan Springs, Arizona. I served in the Navy as an aviation ordnanceman. I grew up in a small town with very little education and employment opportunities. I was also the middle of five children in a low-income family. I joined the Navy straight out of high school to better my circumstances and get college tuition money.
I am very proud of the successful military career I had as a female in a very male-dominated occupation. For the majority of my career, as a female, I made up less than 15% of my peers and total population. Despite this, I still managed to advance through the ranks, starting as an E-2 and being promoted to E-9 (Chief Petty Officer) in less than 19 years. The average time frame to make E-9 in my specialty is 22 years.
Did you attend college before attending our virtual online course and our humanities and business course at the University of Notre Dame, and why did you decide to take time out of your summer to participate in Warrior-Scholar Project?
Prior to attending Warrior-Scholar Project, I completed three college courses. I knew that after retirement from the Navy, the next step would be to attend college full time. However, I was still very intimidated by the unknown of what that meant. I also felt that it had been too long since the last time I was in a non-military school and that I wouldn’t be able to succeed in college.
Tell us a little bit about what you were feeling going into your first academic boot camp.
On the first day of the virtual course, I felt extremely nervous about how old I’d be compared to the other attendees. I felt I wouldn’t be able to contribute much to the discussions and that my writing would be horrible. On the first day of the in-person humanities boot camp, I had similar feelings. I was still nervous about my age, and I was also anxious about not looking like I fit in at the University of Notre Dame.
At some point, there was a massive shift in my confidence level. After the virtual course, I felt more confident participating in discussions because I had a wealth of life experience that could help enrich the conversations. I was also confident in my understanding of the topics. After the in-person boot camp, I felt way more confident in my ability to write a college-level essay and interact with the staff and students. I was most confident that universities would actually want me as a student because I have plenty of life experiences and successes to make me competitive in the application process.
What are some lessons or key concepts you took away from Warrior-Scholar Project?
I was really on the fence about whether I wanted to attend college online or in person, but I found that attending an in-person academic boot camp did more for me than the virtual course. I also realized that age still doesn’t matter anymore as a student than it did when I was serving; only your level of effort does. Another thing I took away from this experience was the value of office hours. Use them! I’ve already done that with one of my classes, and it’s only day three.
However, the most important thing I took away from Warrior-Scholar Project is not being afraid to ask questions and/or voice concerns. It doesn’t matter what it is. There’s probably someone else with the same struggle. If I hadn’t asked questions and voiced concerns during my online course, I probably would have quit and never attended an in-person course.
How would you sum up your #WSPExperience?
My overall experience was amazing! During the virtual program, I felt overwhelmed and almost quit, but with the support of the fellows (peer mentors) and other students, I was motivated to continue. At that point, college still felt a little scary, like a monster was in the closet, and I just wasn’t ready to open the door and look.
During the in-person course at Notre Dame, there was an overwhelming camaraderie from everyone involved (fellows, students, professors, tutors, etc.). Upon completing this course, I found the courage to look behind the door that scared me. Now, less than two months after boot camp, I am a full-time student at my local community college and looking into the application process to attend next fall semester at a four-year university.
Is there anything else you would like to mention?
If you’re still on the fence about attending a Warrior-Scholar Project academic boot camp, ask yourself, what do you have to lose? It’s FREE, and its purpose is to help you succeed. Even if you don’t end up enrolling in a university or attending college at all, the experience alone is worth the time. Again, what do you have to lose?