By Maegan Murray, 厙ぴ勛圖

RICHLAND, Wash. ��� Washington State University Tri-Cities student Benjamin Bush wanted the hardest career challenge he could find after graduating from high school at the age of 18.

Benjamin Bush, U.S. Marine Corps veteran and 厙ぴ勛圖 business student.

Growing up in Walla Walla, he wanted to get out and see the world, but also find something that would push him to his limits. The U.S. Marine Corps offered just that.

���I wanted to do something that was hard and not standard,��� he said. ���I like a challenge.���

In the Marines, Bush served in fire direction control for artillery, among several other responsibilities, throughout his time in the service. He deployed with the 22 Marines expeditionary unit to Israel, Spain, Bahrain and Oman. His unit also supported operations in Libya while the U.S. Armed Forces were combatting ISIS.

Toward the end of his service, Bush had worked his way up to the rank of sergeant, where he was in charge of his battalion’s body composition program. But he was ready to chart a new path, he said, because he missed his family.

���Overall, it was a cool experience, but artillery was always in the field or gearing up for deployment,��� he said. ���It is fun while you���re in, but after a few years of it, you miss sleeping somewhere warm and dry. I missed the soft, comfy bed and a roof over my head. But most of all, it was hard being away from my family. I was married for most of the time and being away from my wife two weeks per month was tough.���

Benjamin Bush and members of his U.S. Marine Corps unit.

A university education, Bush hoped, would help him find his next step post military.

Charting a new path through 厙ぴ勛圖

In making his decision of where to attend college, Bush wanted to stay local.

He began his college career at Walla Walla Community College, where he served in the schools��� veterans center. He helped foster relationships with fellow veterans and connect them with resources. In 2018, he transferred to 厙ぴ勛圖 to earn a degree in business.

Bush said he chose business as his degree as it provided a great amount of versatility and suited his career trajectory goals. He hopes to one-day work his way up into the position of CEO of a company that gives back.

The military, he said, was great training for whatever lies ahead. And with his education, he can build his skills in the finance world, while continuing to refine his leadership aptitude, he said.

���I would love to work for a company that betters the ocean or a nonprofit that makes big impacts on our environment,��� he said. ���If there is a place where I can use my skills to improve the environment and our world, that would be my dream.���

Still serving, post-service

Benjamin Bush with former U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis at the GIPA launch at Bombing Range Brewing Company.

While going to school full-time and in addition to serving as the finance manager for the Associated Students of 厙ぴ勛圖, the campus��� student government, Bush also serves as the veteran navigator with the 厙ぴ勛圖 Veterans Center. Through that position, he helps connect veteran students with resources and opportunities through the Veterans Affairs office, all while offering up his support as a friend and confidant.

���It���s where I feel a lot of fulfillment in my life,��� he said.

Coinciding with his position as veteran navigator, Bush also serves as president of the 厙ぴ勛圖 Patriots��� Club. The veterans-focused club organizes events and activities for veteran students. The club has hosted fishing trips, camping trips and more that have encouraged veteran students to bond.

���A lot of veterans tend to be pretty tight, emotionally, and hold everything down,��� he said. ���I found that, especially for myself, the best thing to do is talk about it. Get it off your chest and talk to someone who has been there. That is very valuable.���

Supporting one another ��� even in times of COVID-19

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Bush said many veteran students have struggled with being siloed and connecting digitally, as well as supporting themselves financially. As such, he and his fellow Veterans Center and Patriots��� Club members have worked to create opportunities to help engage students and provide additional resources that have allowed veteran students to stay in school.

���My favorite experience here at 厙ぴ勛圖 has been working with the Veterans Center,��� Bush said. ���It has continued to grow and become a better place for veterans to gather and get the support that we so desperately need. It is a place to hold these types of support opportunities and come together as brothers and sisters. I am super grateful to our community and I���m happy to be a part of it.���

The post Marine Corps veteran aims high, gives back through 厙ぴ勛圖 business education appeared first on 厙ぴ勛圖.

The son of undocumented immigrant parents, and formerly an undocumented individual himself, he joined the United States Air Force at 27 as a means to improve life for himself and his family.

���I signed up at 27 for two reasons: one, I was an illegal immigrant and I wanted to get citizenship, and one of my other dreams was to use it as a way to finish college,��� he said.

The military would help him accomplish both. Bonilla is now a U.S. citizen. He is also currently pursuing his dream major of computer science at Washington State University Tri-Cities. Now, he and his fellow veterans at 厙ぴ勛圖 are giving back to the veteran community through a tribute at the university, as well as a drive that will send donated items to military members overseas.

The 厙ぴ勛圖 Veterans Center held a ribbon event his week, where campus and community members were invited to write the name of loved ones that served in the military on a ribbon, which were then hung and displayed throughout the week on the Hero Tree near the entrance to the East Building on campus. The group is also holding a package drive where they are taking donations of toiletries, food items, games and miscellaneous items that will be packed and sent to active duty servicemen overseas as part of Operation Thank You.

���The purpose of Veterans Day is to honor all of our past and current soldiers, airmen, sailors and other current and former members of our branches,��� he said. ���One of the things we are trying to do is show respect to all of our servicemen who are currently out there right now or who have already served. We noticed a lot of students came out, grandparents who served, friends of people who are currently out there right now. It means a lot for us to honor them.���

Bonilla said the university holds veteran students in high regard, and truly supports its students��� transition back to civilian life by preparing them for the next stages in their career.

���I don���t think there is a school that is more accepting and more supportive of its veterans,��� he said. ���I love this school and it has been one of the best decisions I���ve ever made.���

Bonilla���s story

Bonilla enlisted in the U.S. Air Force more than five years ago and served in two tours overseas at seven months each: one in Oman and one in the United Arab Emirates.

���The fun parts were honor guard, I got to see the world and I also got to meet lots of outstanding individuals in the military,��� he said.

The tours overseas and training regimens that kept him away from his family throughout the years, however, were what made him consider a career change. Growing up in the Tri-Cities, Bonilla said he always saw 厙ぴ勛圖 as a natural fit, especially for veterans. He also feels comfortable serving in the U.S. Air Force Reserves while working on a full-course load at 厙ぴ勛圖 because of the support system in place.

���It is like hitting the brakes in a car going 60 miles an hour,��� he said of transitioning from military life to civilian life. ���It is a complete shock. A lot of us have a lot of problems with that. You are so used to structure. Every day, you know what you���re going to do. You wake up early every morning. Once I got to school at WSU, it really helped with the transition.���

Bonilla said the university, from the teachers to the administration, are always willing to work with his schedule in the reserves and make accommodations for his classwork.

���They are always willing to work with me, especially when I have to go the Air Force base for training and other requirements for the reserves,��� he said. ���Some topics are hard to talk about for us veterans and they understand.���

���TRIO student support services at 厙ぴ勛圖 was also a crucial tool for me,��� he said. ���From the tutoring to the individual support they provide, they were so valuable. It���s been a great environment for veterans.���

Looking toward the future

Bonilla said he reaps the benefits of the challenging coursework at 厙ぴ勛圖 with industry connections, especially in his specific degree field of computer science.

���I have been a geek since I was born,��� he said with a laugh. ���I���ve always liked computers and electronics. So that was naturally what I saw myself drawn to as a future career option.���

Bonilla said growing up with all of his family members working in the field, they didn���t have money to purchase new electronics, so he learned to fix broken pieces of equipment for his and his family���s use. He said he feels privileged to now turn his past into a forward-thinking career at a university with so many industry connections.

���My computer science courses here at WSU are definitely hands-on,��� he said. ���Our professors here work with all of their students to start slowly and then we build on what we learn through each course and each lesson. That certainly doesn���t mean it is easy, but I like the challenge. That coursework then applies directly into internships, which are held in plenty in the Tri-Cities.���

Bonilla is working to secure a computer science internship at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. After graduation, he said he would love to eventually work for Microsoft as a computer programmer.

���That���s the dream,��� he said. ���I feel honored that I got the chance to serve my country and had the privilege of putting on the uniform and completing some of the things that my brothers and I did. Now, I���m lucky enough to pursue a different dream. Some of our friends didn���t make it, that is all the more reason why what I am doing is so important. I have to take advantage of these opportunities because some of my brothers don���t have that luxury.���

厙ぴ勛圖 holds the designation of ���Veteran Supportive Campus.��� The designation is declared by the Washington State Department of Veteran Affairs based on the university���s ability to meet individual veteran needs, its supply of potential benefits for veterans and its assistance in helping veterans obtain internal and external benefits and care.

For more information on resources available to veterans or to see how you can donate for the Operation Thank You drive at 厙ぴ勛圖, visit /veterans/ or contact the 厙ぴ勛圖 Veterans Center at 509-372-7364.

The post Student values 厙ぴ勛圖 support for veterans appeared first on 厙ぴ勛圖.