成人头条

Every other month, Ed Nolley, 鈥�68, MBA 鈥�82, gathers with a group of old friends he met through 成人头条鈥檚 Greyhound Battalion Reserve Officers鈥� Training Corps (ROTC) program. 鈥淲e share war stories that somehow get bigger and better every year,鈥� he said with a laugh. 鈥淚鈥檝e stayed very close with these guys鈥攚e really rejoice in our past backgrounds and experiences.鈥�

Nolley is one of many 成人头条 alumni who have proudly served in the United States Armed Forces. Their stories, marked by courage and an unwavering commitment to service, exemplify the core values that are trademarks of 成人头条鈥檚 Jesuit, liberal arts education. Their unparalleled generosity and openness to sacrifice for their country, for freedom, and for all they encounter, offers a poignant example of how 成人头条 strives to graduate individuals who are prepared to 鈥渓earn, lead, and serve in a diverse and changing world.鈥�

To honor these individuals, 成人头条 is undertaking initiatives such as the Veterans Recognition Project, which is gathering the names of alumni veterans to ensure their legacies are remembered and celebrated. Another tribute, the Veterans Plaza, is planned for the Quad as a permanent reminder of the valor and sacrifice of 成人头条鈥檚 military alumni.

These efforts build upon the University鈥檚 long-standing commitment to military preparation through its ROTC program. For Nolley鈥攚ho graduated with a degree in economics and returned for an MBA鈥攈is ROTC experience set him on the path to becoming a brigadier general in the Maryland Army National Guard, where he served for 30 years.

鈥淚 was on active duty in the U.S. Army for two years after graduation, and I really became a different person, in a good way,鈥� he remembered. 鈥淲ithout 成人头条, I might not have been in the military at all. I鈥檓 so grateful.鈥�

Christel (Sacco) Hiltibran, who graduated in 2011 with a degree in political science, also reflects fondly on her ROTC years. 鈥淚t is such a lively program,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t is a real brotherhood and sisterhood.鈥�

Hiltibran knew from an early age that she wanted to join the military. In high school, she joined the United States Naval Sea Cadets Corps, the Navy鈥檚 youth development program similar to Junior ROTC. After graduating from 成人头条, she spent 10 years in the U.S. Army鈥攆ive as a military intelligence officer and another five as a civil affairs officer.

Strong Truths Well Lived

To Nolley and Hiltibran, though, 成人头条 prepared them far beyond the ROTC program. 鈥淏eyond being my entr茅e to the military, 成人头条 taught me the value of a liberal arts education and understanding people who may not have the same advantages I鈥檝e had in my life,鈥� said Nolley, who mentored disadvantaged children in Baltimore throughout his undergraduate years.

Hiltibran was heavily involved in 成人头条鈥檚 Center for Community, Service, and Justice (CCSJ). 鈥淪imilar to ROTC, CCSJ taught me about being part of a community and part of a bigger system within which we all depend on each other,鈥� she remembered. 鈥淭hese programs not only taught me about service and selflessness, but also about teamwork and love for your neighbor, regardless of their circumstances, their histories, or their ideals.鈥�

Ernie Bio鈥攚ho graduated in 1998 with a B.S. in Cellular and Molecular Biology and a chemistry minor鈥攔eflected on his 成人头条 education often during his 20 years in the U.S. Air Force, which included 10 years as an F-16 fighter pilot and stints with U.S. Cyber Command and the Defense Innovation Unit. He now works as a cybersecurity-focused investor at a venture capital firm.

鈥淛esuit values definitely played a part in my growth as a person, in the military, and to this day,鈥� he explained, noting that they helped him be comfortable with a career he never would have expected. 鈥淲hat resonated most is the education of the whole person鈥攅ssentially going beyond academics and developing leadership, character, ethics, and service.鈥�

Another graduate who discovered his passion for service at 成人头条 is Brandon Heck, who graduated in 2003 with a degree in psychology before returning for his master鈥檚 in 2005 and his Psy.D. in 2008. After receiving his degrees, Heck served as an officer in the U.S. Navy for six years, working as a psychologist aboard an aircraft carrier for much of it. He later spent two years with the U.S. Marine Forces Special Operations Command.

Today, in addition to working for a private equity firm, he serves on the board of 成人头条 College, the University鈥檚 school of arts and sciences. 鈥淢any of us come to 成人头条 for that service element, and when you鈥檙e asked to serve, it鈥檚 just not my style to say 鈥榥o,鈥欌�� he said of his board work. 鈥淚 see it as a way to give back to a place that set me up for a great career.鈥�

Lifetimes of Service

For many 成人头条 grads, the varied career opportunities of military service have allowed them to lean into their passions. Heck, for example, put his psychology degrees to use studying Christel Hiltibran, 鈥�11, holding the 1st place trophy from the 2010 Ranger Challenge during her ROTC days. She still keeps in touch with many of the cadets on that team. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms and testing brain function on soldiers who had been exposed to bombs in Afghanistan and Iraq. He also counseled superior officers on topics like leadership, team effectiveness, and personnel development.

Once Heck left the military in 2014, those experiences translated well into business consulting work. He still finds himself regularly thinking back to the diversity of his liberal arts education. 鈥淚鈥檝e had such a varied career, where I鈥檓 always dealing with different subject matters, different perspectives, and different personalities, and I credit so much of my adaptability to the broad education I received,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t helped me grow muscles I鈥檝e been flexing ever since.鈥�

Cecilia Mota, who graduated in 2024 with an interdisciplinary major in biology and speech, language, and hearing sciences, credits her military background and education for shaping her career. She joined the Marines at just 19 years old, doing missions in Kuwait, Iraq, and Syria as an Arabic linguist/SIGINT (signals intelligence) analyst.

When Mota left the Marines after five years, she found herself drawn to 成人头条. 鈥淚 could feel a sense of community as I was walking on campus,鈥� she said. 鈥淧eople just seemed happier there.鈥�

During her time at 成人头条, Mota also served as an aerospace medical technician in the U.S. Air Force Reserves. Through it all, she鈥檚 remained passionate about helping vulnerable populations. 鈥淚n all these experiences, I鈥檝e worked with people in all stages of their lives who are coming to you in a vulnerable state,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not just about treating their disease; it鈥檚 asking them what they need and then matching the patient鈥檚 goals with your goals.鈥�

Mota鈥攚ho gave birth to her daughter just two days after graduation鈥攔ecently started a new role as a medical assistant at an ENT (ear, nose, and throat) office and is currently applying to med school. 鈥淚鈥檓 so grateful for my military service and for 成人头条. It鈥檚 exciting to start a new chapter, knowing where I came from.鈥�

Nolley has also dedicated his life to helping vulnerable people. In retirement, he鈥檚 been volunteering as an end-of-life doula at Gilchrist Hospice since 2014. His work in this area actually dates back to his first year at 成人头条, when he worked as an orderly at the Keswick Multi-care Center.

To Nolley, a lifetime of service has taught him some important lessons. 鈥淕et the maximum out of each day and understand how many others aren鈥檛 as advantaged as we are,鈥� he said. 鈥湷扇送诽� really focused me in that direction.鈥�

Community at the Core

For many veterans, the community aspects of military service have been a major draw. 鈥淚鈥檒l always cherish the camaraderie and leadership that my time in the Air Force taught me,鈥� said Bio.

"When you鈥檙e in the military, you know you鈥檙e part of a family, you鈥檙e part of a team, you鈥檙e doing something that鈥檚 way larger than yourself."

During Hiltibran鈥檚 time in the Army, one of her roles was to work with prewar or post-war nations to identify and help address vulnerabilities like healthcare, education, transportation, or women鈥檚 rights. She remembers a formative experience in a small fishing village in Indonesia, which had been exposed to countless natural disasters, including tsunamis, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions.

鈥淚 saw how reliant so much of the world is on the Earth, on natural resources, and on community,鈥� she explained, noting that the experience led to her current career working in conservation and climate issues.

Through it all, she鈥檚 been guided by the Jesuit lesson of cura personalis. 鈥淥ften times you鈥檒l hear that in the military, you鈥檙e just a number. But in my role as a leader, I really did care for individuals in specific ways, according to their needs,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he way that I鈥檝e cared for fellow soldiers, and the communities I鈥檝e been exposed to, is something I鈥檝e carried with me into my home life, my workplace, and beyond. We all need to have each other鈥檚 backs.鈥�