About a hundred men and women, mostly veterans, gathered at USC’s underground music venue Tommy’s Place. In between red, white and blue balloon pillars stood military veteran Fabian Francis.
Francis told the crowd that he was in the bottom 10% of his high school graduating class. His only goal was to retire in the military. But after his service in the Marines, and with the encouragement of his girlfriend, Francis overcame his fear and eventually enrolled in USC’s Marshall School of Business.
“I used the determination, the grit, the discipline that the Marine Corps instilled in me,” Francis said. “I knew I’d be successful wherever I would go.”
Two years later, Francis is now president of the Student Veterans of America chapter. He has a 4.0 GPA and is a staff member at USC’s Veterans Resource Center.
The center celebrated its 10th anniversary earlier this year and it currently serves approximately 1,400 student veterans at USC. Located in the Ronald Tutor Campus Center, it is a physical space where military, veterans, and military-connected students find resources for personal, professional, and academic success.
Senior Annenberg journalism student Anthony Clingerman said he also didn’t do well in high school. He too joined the military before enrolling at USC.
“I really experienced imposter syndrome,” Clingerman said about his first semesters at USC. “I felt like I kind of slipped through the cracks, like I didn’t really belong here, and somehow managed to game the system to be where I am.”
Clingerman was a broadcast journalist for the military and among many roles, he was an aerial photographer stationed in the U.K.
Originally from Ohio, Clingerman moved to Los Angeles and said his military background was the ‘great unifier’ when it came to finding a community of people that have helped him get through school.
“Finding a community in a place where you feel safe to be yourself and to grow is super crucial,” Clingerman said. “In my case, that just happens to be veterans. And because of our shared suffering, if you want to call it that, it’s very easy to find common ground.”
As more people shuffled into the event, scooped free food onto their plates and heard the remarks of veterans and alumni alike, the room grew closer, celebrating those who have served their country.
“We kind of treat [Veteran’s Day] as a fun holiday, and it can be,” Clingerman said. “But more importantly, there are a lot of people who do serve the country who don’t make it home ... and even more importantly, most of those casualties now in 2024 aren’t on foreign soil. They’re not a part of the war. They are part of a mental health crisis.
If you know anybody who is serving,” he added, “I highly encourage you to reach out and to maintain, keep that relationship alive, because it can be what makes the difference.”