Lindsay Loughlin served in the Marine Corps from 2009 to 2013. Knowing nothing but the military since they graduated high school, Loughlin said transitioning back into everyday life and developing their own identity outside of the Marine Corps was “very challenging.”
“Your entire identity has been shaped to be a marine for four years, that’s what you do, that’s who you are. Suddenly that’s not you at all and you’re just a normal person,” Loughlin, a senior creative writing major, said. “I was never an adult, not in the military. Being an adult outside the military was like, ‘I don’t know who the hell I am.’”
Many students — both traditional and non-traditional — come to Pitt after or while serving in the military. Although the transition from serving in the military to being a student can be difficult, many students excel in their studies at Pitt.
After leaving the Marines, Loughlin immediately began pursuing an associate’s degree at a community college in Oregon, which they completed two years later. Loughlin became interested in applying to Pitt after hearing about the philosophy program from a friend who was living in Pittsburgh at the time. Now a student at Pitt, Loughlin said their military experience both helped and hurt them throughout college so far.
“When things are rough, I realize I’ve gone through worse. I’ve done so many more challenging things than, say, writing an essay,” Loughlin said. “But, it greatly affected my mental health. PTSD gets really rough at...
Read Full Story: https://pittnews.com/article/168812/news/set-me-up-to-succeed-veterans-talk-transition-from-military-service-to-studies/
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