University honors graduating student veterans
Among the graduates at Friday’s commencement ceremony will be group of students who have taken a different path to arrive at this momentous occasion — those who served in the country’s armed forces before enrolling at East Carolina University.
They were honored for both their service and for their accomplishments during the Veterans Graduate Recognition Ceremony, held at the Murphy Center on Wednesday, April 24.
ECU’s Veterans Graduate Recognition Ceremony was held in the Murphy Center on Wednesday, April 24.
(Photos by Rhett Butler)
Christopher Helberg, an ECU engineering graduate and Marine Corps veteran, left, received a gold challenge coin from Chancellor Emeritus Steve Ballard.
The event provided an opportunity for the student veterans to mingle and to congratulate each other, said Chris Helberg, engineering student and a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps. “Many of them I have known for a couple of years, so it was good to celebrate,” he said.
Each student received a gold challenge coin and a red, white and blue honor cord to wear during this week’s commencement activities.
Helberg said he began his service in aircraft maintenance support as an electrician and refrigeration technician. He was stationed at Cherry Point and completed two deployments, earning the rank of sergeant and the role of work center supervisor.
“When my contract was coming to an end, I decided to go back to school and chose ECU due to its class sizes, location and ever-growing engineering program,” he said. Degree in hand, he will begin his new career as a quality assurance engineer for Raytheon in Tampa, Florida.
ECU Chancellor Emeritus Steve Ballard speaks to graduating student veterans during a recognition ceremony on Wednesday, April 24.
His time in the military helped him with time management in college. “I’m fairly comfortable with balancing my work, school and home life in order to meet all the goals that have been set in place,” he said.
On the other hand, trying to relate to his classmates turned out to be a unique challenge.
“Many of them are younger and do not share the same life experiences I have, so making friends was difficult at first,” he said. He credited Student Veteran Services for providing connections and a place where student veterans can socialize.
ECU Student Veteran Services was created as a one-stop shop to help veterans navigate the complexities of university life. The office is one of several initiatives and programs that have contributed to the university being recognized as a veteran friendly college by the Military Times and College Factual, a source of data analytics and insights on college outcomes.
-by Jules Norwood, ECU News Services