Student Spotlight: Vincent Elopre, USMC

Tell us a little about yourself.

My name is Vincent Elopre, and I am from Nutley, New Jersey. I served in the Marine Corps as a security guard and aviation structural mechanic for C-130s. There were a lot of reasons why I joined the military, but here’s one: I was a young man with a chip on my shoulder that wanted to prove myself to the world. On top of that, I also wanted the opportunity to give back to the nation and community that helped me and my family live the American Dream after immigrating from abroad. Outside of the military, I love traveling and photography. One of my favorite things is to mark a nice restaurant somewhere in the city and figure out how to get there without driving. Sounds simple enough, but it usually makes for an ad-hoc adventure.

Did you have any college experience before attending your Warrior-Scholar Project boot camp? Why did you decide to apply?

Before attending the Wesleyan University STEM boot camp, my highest level of education was an associate’s degree in computer science from my local community college. This was not without difficulty, however—I failed several COVID-era semesters of online community college at a separate school during my active-duty enlistment, and I had to effectively restart my degree. It was hard, but I had a lot of support from several resources.

I had known about Warrior-Scholar Project for years, but it was difficult coordinating the timing. This was the first time I was able to get the scheduling correct, and I’m glad I was able to. Furthermore, as an incoming transfer student, I knew I needed a refresher prior to starting classes anew at my four-year institution.

What were you feeling going into the first day of your boot camp? Did you experience a shift in your confidence as the week progressed?

I arrived a little bit late and in the middle of a rainstorm that delayed my drive over to the campus, so suffice it to say my first day started with a bit of panic! However, the fellows were very understanding and let me know it wasn’t a big deal.

I was pretty excited for a number of things: one was to see how Wesleyan University students and faculty conducted their research and academic work, and the other was to see how other veterans were managing their transition to college. Ultimately, my goal was to simply be a sponge and learn from everyone’s shared experiences. Overall, I would say I came in pretty confident about my fundamental skills in STEM subjects, but Warrior-Scholar Project really helped me understand other perspectives of teaching and learning. Moreover, the fellows were very passionate and personalized the learning experience to involve everyone from the cohort. So, if anything, it helped me reinforce the idea that I still had much more to learn.

Since I was also admitted to an Ivy League, I didn’t want to start off my boot camp telling everyone where I was going. I felt like I wanted to keep my experience grounded and let my personality and experiences speak for themselves. Though eventually, since I also wanted to help inspire my fellow vets to recognize the opportunities they have, I let my cohort know. I think this helped everyone realize that they were also capable of the same.

What are some of the key takeaways from your boot camp experience? Is there one thing that stood out to you?

Subject-wise, I got a refresher on some fundamental trigonometry and physics techniques. I would argue that STEM subjects are some of the most difficult for students to grasp, but it helped being in an environment with like-minded veterans of similar backgrounds as myself. Other than that, my time during boot camp helped reinforce the idea that our experiences as veterans add a unique and valuable voice in the classroom setting. We’re able to approach problems and situations in ways that may come off as unusual to a typical college student, and it’s this mentality that serves us well in the academic environment.

One thing that stood out is that it’s not just a passive act of keeping an open mind, but exercising patience and understanding to accommodate everyone’s experiences. I think promoting a mindset like this will serve veterans transitioning to college well.

How would you describe your overall experience?

It was a great experience, unlike any other, and it’s nice meeting a lot of other veterans passionate about school. I’m really glad to have had this opportunity.

Do you have any parting words?

To my fellow veterans: share your stories!

Learn more about participating in our academic boot camps. Already interested? Submit an interest form.