Among the students earning degrees from The University of Texas at Dallas this month will be approximately 75 military veterans, many of whom will use their new degrees in STEM-focused careers.
“We have a lot of veterans who are in engineering and computer science and who are pursuing other technical degrees,” said Lisa Adams, director of the University’s Military and Veteran Center (MVC). “UT Dallas is a great place for former service members seeking these types of degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics [STEM] fields.”
The MVC provides resources and support for veterans and military-affiliated students, including peer counseling, program assistance and community education.
“We have a lot of veterans who are in engineering and computer science and who are pursuing other technical degrees. UT Dallas is a great place for former service members seeking these types of degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics [STEM] fields.”
Lisa Adams, director of the UT Dallas Military and Veteran Center
Jessica Thompson and Reina Woolridge are both earning technical degrees this month. Thompson is slated to attain two master’s degrees in management and will specialize in cybersecurity, while Woolridge is earning her bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering.
“Jessica and Reina both have incredibly interesting backgrounds in the military, which is one of the ways veterans diversify and enhance our campus and our classrooms,” Adams said.
Jessica Thompson
By the time Jessica Thompson arrived at UT Dallas in the summer of 2019, she had already taken many classes and gained important skills, including how to be an aircrew member and how to survive an aircraft crash.
“I was an airborne linguist in the Air Force,” Thompson said. “It’s a military intelligence job where I flew on an intelligence aircraft and transcribed what I heard.”
Because she demonstrated a proficiency in languages, the Air Force sent Thompson to the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center for cryptology training. During the 47-week language program, Thompson underwent intense training in the Persian language.
Thompson earned a bachelor’s degree from Arizona State University while in the service. After five years in the Air Force, she was ready to continue her education, so she enrolled in the UT Dallas Naveen Jindal School of Management as a full-time Master of Business Administration student. In addition to her MBA, Thompson also is earning a master’s degree in information technology and management and a graduate certificate in cybersecurity.
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Much like her introduction to the military, her MBA experience began with boot camp.
“It’s two weeks of a boot-camp-style professional development course where you get to meet your cohort members,” she said. “It was almost like going through military training, where you learn to lean on each other’s strengths.”
Thompson has been very active in the MVC. She was president of the Student Veterans Association, and she was involved in Peer Advisors for Veteran Education (PAVE), a student veteran mentoring program.
After graduation, Thompson will begin working at Bank of America Corp. in a women’s cyber rotational program. She is looking forward to using her academic and military preparation to work in cybersecurity, and she also hopes to apply her language skills in her career.
She recommended that student veterans utilize the programs at the MVC.
“Even after just one event, you realize there are people who have been through the same thing as you, and that you have a lot of things in common,” she said. “It’s nice to have a specific office that advocates for veterans.”
Reina Woolridge
Prior to joining the U.S. Navy, Reina Woolridge was taking university classes, but it wasn’t clicking for her. She did not like her degree plan and was not enjoying herself.
After a year and a half, Woolridge changed direction and joined the Navy. Her four years of military experience made her training and career plan much clearer.
“I was an avionics electronic technician, so I learned a lot, including how to troubleshoot electronic equipment,” she said. “I really enjoyed looking at a component and seeing how it was built, because that was how you troubleshooted.”
Woolridge said she also developed a passion for innovation as she looked for ways to upgrade military equipment to become more energy-efficient.
When her military service was over, Woolridge was ready to go back to school. She enrolled as a mechanical engineering student in the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science. Even with her technical background, adjusting to the academically rigorous program was a challenge.
“It took me a long time to figure out my study patterns. In the military, you kind of have an independent mindset, so you don’t really ask for help. After about a year at UT Dallas, I learned that I needed to ask for help, and I needed to socialize, which I was not used to doing,” she said.
One of her first stops was the MVC, which provided her with the support she was seeking. She, in turn, volunteered to help other student veterans who needed guidance with military benefits, study tips and making friends. Woolridge also served as an officer in the Student Veterans Association and as a PAVE peer advisor.
As she earns her bachelor’s degree and prepares for her career, Woolridge said she would encourage more women veterans to gravitate to technical fields.
“I have been trying to connect with women veterans who are in industry, trying to build community, because that community is very small,” she said. “I hope I can make things a little bit easier for the women coming after me.”