United in Service and Community

They served in different military branches, in different jobs, overcoming challenges, facing trials where the consequences are life and death, learning to work with others in service of something bigger than themselves.

They look no different than any other college student and have different statuses as active and reserve and former military. What joins them together, in addition to their service to their country, is they are all Seattle University students, drawn to a college experience where they feel like more than a number and can build community with fellow veterans.

“What I see are students who have overcome a challenge already and have done something incredibly meaningful by standing at the position of attention and raising their right hand to support and defend the Constitution,” says Shawn Dodge, Seattle University’s first director of veteran and military-affiliated students, which includes the Veteran and Military Student Center.

There are about 460 active duty, ROTC, former military or affiliated dependent students on SU’s campus. The benefit to campus, says Dodge, himself a retired Lieutenant Colonel in the Army, are students who can lead as well as who can work in a team. And, above all, they come from diverse backgrounds.

“I’ve always thought of the military as the greatest melting pots of cultures and backgrounds from around the world,” he says.

Jervon Louis, ‘28
U.S. Navy

Jervon Louis, a double major in accounting and management, was born in Brooklyn, New York, before moving to Trinidad. He started studying mathematics at university and found himself flailing.

While studying one day, he saw a U.S. Navy commercial. It struck a nerve in the teenager about to turn 18.

"You know what?” he said to himself. “I think I might try this."

That was in June 2017 and two days later he had signed up with Uncle Sam. Two weeks later he shipped out to basic training.

He became an aviation ordnanceman aboard a P-8 Poseidon—a submarine hunter—which looks like an ordinary Boeing passenger plane except that it is armed to the teeth with mines, missiles and torpedoes.

Based out of Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Louis and the crew were trained to fly above the ocean and seek out and sink enemy submarines. “Luckily, we’ve never done that, but we have the capability to.”

Louis now serves in the reserves as a yeoman, dealing with administrative matters, with the rank of petty officer first class. At first he was apprehensive about returning to college, but with the support of his wife, Summer, who is also a submarine hunter in the Navy, he gave it a shot. Now he’s considering law school.

“It turns out it was the best thing ever,” he says, picking SU because he wanted smaller class sizes and to get to know his professors. “We have the fear until we actually get into it and it turns out it's not that bad.”

Areil Alejo, ‘28
U.S. Marine Corps

Areil Alejo, a mechanical engineering major, joined the Marine Corps at 17 and turned 18 days before graduating from bootcamp. His father spent his career in the Navy and Alejo grew up on the move, his childhood split between Japan, the Philippines and Seattle. He picked the Marines in rivalry with his father, with its reputation as being the most demanding of the military branches.

After four years he left the service as a corporal having spent his time as a bulk fuel specialist stationed in Japan and Korea, a job he did so well that his superiors kept him in place rather than having him deploy. After discharging he returned to Seattle and picked SU.

“It’s smaller, it’s more intimate,” he says of his decision, noting the university’s strong alumni network and the veteran community on campus. “We’re all pretty close to each other.”

Though his experience dealing with petroleum gave him vital real-life experience in a STEM field, he finds that the perseverance he learned in the Marines assists him managing the rigors of majoring in engineering.

“If I didn’t go through it, I would've changed my major a long time ago,” he says.

He’s open minded about what he plans to do after graduating, but his dream job involves airplanes.

“I just find aircraft so interesting,” he says. “You’d think I’d be tired of it because after seeing them every day for four years and I’m partially deaf because of them, but I think they’re awesome.”

Viveka Patterson, ‘28
U.S. Navy

When Viveka Patterson, a computer engineering major, graduated from high school in upstate New York she decided she wanted to go to a big university and picked Virginia Commonwealth University.

After graduating with a degree in psychology, she couldn’t find a place in the job market, so she enlisted in the Navy and became a nuclear machinist mate, a “nuke” as they are known, maintaining the power source that drives ships across the ocean.

“Nukes are super tight knit,” she says, emphasizing that she cherished the camaraderie with her fellow sailors. “They stick together.”

As a lover of learning, the role fit her well, giving her a front row seat to the theory and practice of nuclear power.

“It was just fun operating the plant, learning and watching,” she says. “It's watching the theory come to life—that's the best part.”

After serving 13 years in the Navy, including service aboard the aircraft carriers USS Theodore Roosevelt and USS Gerald R. Ford, Patterson suffered a back injury and had to leave the service at the rank of petty officer first class. After considering her next step, she picked SU for its size, especially after attending a large school.

“Looking back at my first time in college, I think I would’ve done better in a smaller school,” she says, noting that she is considering pursuing a PhD. “I feel like I'm thriving better in the close-knit environment.”

Asa Bingham, ‘27
U.S. Army

While Asa Bingham was serving in Afghanistan, he earned a grim nickname for his ability to locate roadside bombs, or “improvised explosive devices,” that could kill or seriously injure fellow soldiers: “IED magnet.”

A sergeant first class in the Army, as well as an MBA student and a cadet in Major General Patrick H. Brady Battalion Army ROTC, twice the truck he was driving was hit by a roadside bomb. The explosions left him wounded and led to him being awarded a Purple Heart, a medal given great reverence for the sacrifice it honors.

Intending to make a career out of the Army, Bingham attended college online and transitioned to communications, becoming a mass communication specialist —the military’s version of a journalist—and even became a DJ with the Armed Forces Network, hosting a music radio show based in Honduras.

“That was super cool,” he says. “Best job.”

Originally from Pismo Beach, California, Bingham and his wife, Dacia, and their two children were stationed at Joint Base Lewis–McChord while Bingham worked to fulfill his dream of becoming a commissioned officer. As he was researching schools, a friend told him about SU. He learned about the Sport and Entertainment Management MBA and was drawn to the personable culture.

“I was hooked immediately,” he says. “It kind of just fell in my lap and I was like, ‘Dang, that’s definitely the move.’ So I ended up going here and loved it ever since.”

Francisco “Sysqo” Velazquez, ‘27
U.S. Army

Francisco “Sysqo” Velazquez, a kinesiology major, found his true calling in helping others. Whether it’s coaching youth football, helping clients with their health and fitness or being there for his friends in the LGBTQ+ and drag/burlesque community, for him it all comes down to being of service.

But it took Velazquez, originally from San Diego, a couple different tries to find his path.

First, fresh out of high school, he joined the Merchant Marines, serving for about two years as a wiper in the engine room of ocean-going ships. A few years later, while working dead end jobs, he asked himself: “What do I want to do with myself? What do I want to do with my life?”

His soul searching led him to enlist in the Army. He served two combat tours in Iraq with the 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, a storied part of the Army nicknamed the Manchus.

It was in the Army that he became keenly interested in health and fitness. After leaving the service as a sergeant, during another period of trying to find his path, he found himself working out in the gym and had a realization.

“I was just like, ‘kinesiology,’” he says. The field puts him in the position to help others with their life goals, whether building strength or recovering from injury. Additionally, it allows him to support his friends.

After considering other universities, he picked SU for its rigorous program and since arriving on campus, he’s noticed that the veteran community has grown.

“We're getting better at the community here,” he says. “It’s getting bigger.”