After five years in the U.S. Army, Fernando Horner made the difficult transition from soldier to scholar.
Horner was based out of Fort Lewis, Washington and spent his military career as an Intelligence Analyst. Horner was deployed to Mosul, Iraq in 2004 and was a recipient of the Combat Action Badge, Parachutist Badge, Air Assault Badge as well as Golden Spurs, an award reserved for being a part of the cavalry or being heavily involved in combat. Upon retirement, Horner had reached the rank of Sergeant.
After retiring from the service, Horner entered the construction business. But, having sustained combat related injuries, he knew it was not something his body could withstand long-term.
“When I got out of the Army, I had to make a choice for myself,” Horner said. “Would I stay in the construction business until I retired, or should I go back to school and pursue another field in the area of IT? I chose to return to school.”
According to Horner, it was a difficult decision, “As a first-generation student, it was hard to transition from the army to going to college. I couldn’t ask my family for their opinion or help because none of them have gone through college before.”
A husband and father of two boys, Horner acknowledged the challenges of juggling school and family. “Balancing life between family and school has been extremely difficult since both my wife and I have been full-time students throughout this journey,” he explained. “We have had no help taking care of the children. We have had to pass them back and forth from one another. We were able to do this because we set up opposite schedules for nearly four years.”
Horner attributes his success to his wife’s support and guidance, as well as the WSU Vancouver’s Veterans Center.
“WSU Vancouver has helped me to understand how it is more than important to take time for myself and find a good balance between my life and school,” Horner said. “In essence, it has been training me to return back to the workforce.”
Horner is majoring in management information systems with a sales certificate and video game design certificate because he wanted to pursue an education that aligned with his military experience. Horner hopes to work for a tech firm. He graduates this December.
Side bar:
WSU Vancouver’s Veterans Center is located in the Classroom Building, room 212. The space is often full of veterans studying, watching TV or utilizing many of the other resources available in the center, including computers, free printing, refrigerator, microwave and free coffee.
Also located on campus is Veterans Affairs. The Veterans Coordinator can assist veterans with any VA educational benefits questions and offers drop-in hours five days a week.
The WSU Vancouver VA website says, “WSU Vancouver is a Veteran Supportive Campus, as designated by the Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs. We will help you transition to the classroom.” The office is located upstairs in the Student Services Center, room 113.
Krysten Stewart is a junior at WSU Vancouver pursuing an English degree.