By Douglas Esser
Marc Studer photos
Sean Alley, who had made six tries at college before joining the Navy, decided to try again in 2008 while on board a ship in the middle of the Atlantic. Alley, left, sent an email to the 糖心vlog视频.
The email 鈥 鈥渁 cry for help. How do I start this school thing all over again?鈥 鈥 was answered by Melissa Sinclair, admissions adviser.
Sinclair mapped out an academic plan 鈥渢hat made me feel like I could actually do this,鈥 Alley said in a speech at the UW Bothell Veterans Reception Wednesday evening in the North Creek Events Center.
After fulfilling requirements at Bellevue College, Alley was admitted for the fall of 2009. All that remained was securing veterans benefits at a time when the regulations were in flux.
Veterans Services Manager Rosa Lundborg told Alley, 鈥淯W Bothell isn鈥檛 going to let you down.鈥
鈥淔rom advising to admissions to educational benefits, UW Bothell was leading the way,鈥 Alley told attendees at the reception.
鈥淚t made me proud to be a student, proud to be a veteran.鈥
While a student, Alley (global studies 鈥11) led the creation of the Student Veterans Association (SVA) and the tradition of the UW Bothell Challenge Coin, an honorary medallion awarded to graduating veterans. In recognition of his advocacy, Alley received the President鈥檚 Medal at the 2011 UW Bothell commencement.
During four years in the Navy, Alley was an operations specialist and surface search and rescue swimmer. The study of globalization and global business at UW Bothell led Alley to work for Amazon, where Alley is a senior program manager in inventory compliance.
Chancellor Wolf Yeigh, left, also spoke at the reception and announced the campus will establish a veterans center, a dedicated space on the bottom floor of UW1 in the area known as 鈥渢he spot鈥 near where a popular pool table is located. The University is following the recommendation of the Veterans Life Initiative task force, Yeigh said.
鈥淲e care deeply about our student veterans,鈥 Yeigh said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e going to put many of the services and functions in a central location.鈥
The chancellor is a Navy veteran who served as a tactical intelligence officer for Fighter Squadron Seventy-Four aboard the USS Saratoga in the Gulf War and Iraq War. Yeigh held the rank of lieutenant upon his honorable discharge from the Navy Reserve in 1995.
The reception concluded with Yeigh giving UW Bothell Challenge Coins to three gold star parents 鈥渇or what they continue to do in support of veterans, student veterans and those who are still serving.鈥
鈥淰eterans Day annually reminds us of what kind of sacrifice veterans and their families have made,鈥 said Yeigh.
Earlier in the week, members of the SVA invited people on campus to help them plant 1,000 American flags on the promenade in front of UW1 and UW2 in honor of Veterans Day.
鈥淲e鈥檙e trying to raise awareness of the veterans鈥 presence here on campus. There are over 300 of us. We want to be part of the culture,鈥 said Calvin Evans, SVA president, left, who also spoke at the reception. 鈥淲e鈥檙e not asking people to take a political stand. There are very few people here who don鈥檛 have a friend, relative or someone in their life who served in the military.鈥
There are about 230 veterans on campus and about 70 others who are spouses or children of veterans, eligible for benefits. Veterans bring perspective and leadership to campus, said Evans (computer science and software engineering 鈥18).
鈥淎 lot of the veterans here on campus are 24- 25-years old. They鈥檝e already been to Iraq or Afghanistan. They have some life experience,鈥 said Evans. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 something we鈥檇 like to share as veterans. We have something to offer that maybe people didn鈥檛 know.鈥
Evans is a former Army staff sergeant who served two tours in Afghanistan as a linguist. He speaks Arabic, which is spoken by high-ranking officials and is part of the religious culture in that country.
Another speaker at the reception, Benjamin Studley (community psychology 鈥16), is working as a veterans case worker under a Wounded Warrior fellowship in the office of Rep. Suzan DelBene. Studley, left, also is a current UW Bothell master鈥檚 of policy studies student working on a capstone project about the use of Agent Orange during the Vietnam War.
The 16-year Navy veteran served in Iraq and Afghanistan and received the UW Bothell Chancellor鈥檚 Medal at the 2016 commencement in recognition of his service to fellow student veterans as a Vet Corps Navigator. Evans and Studley are members of the Veterans Live Initiative.
Another focus for veterans on campus is the Veterans Archway, a monument on the east side of the sports fields that was dedicated in 2013. SVA President Benjamin Wiselogle (global studies 鈥12) co-chaired the funding campaign that made it possible.
On Saturday, Veterans Day, the UW Bothell Alumni Council sponsored a “Lend A Paw” community service day at the Shoreline Veteran Center.
From left, Benjamin Studley, Sean Alley, Calvin Evans and Wolf Yeigh.
