I am attending Syracuse University for a Masters of Public Administration and a certificate of advanced studies in Security Studies. I was born and raised in Auburn, NY. Before attending Syracuse, I served five years in the United States Army with the 82md Airborne Division as an infantryman and sniper team leader. After leaving the Army, I completed my undergraduate degree at Syracuse, where I earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. I am a member of the National Security Students Association and SALUTE veterans honor society. After graduation, I plan on pursuing a career in government where I can continue a career protecting national security.

Edrena was born in Washington State. She enlisted in the Army Reserve as a Religious Affairs Specialist in April 2001 and was released to Active Duty in June 2004. She has served in multiple assignments in Texas, Alaska, South Carolina, and Japan and was deployed twice to Iraq in 2005 and 2011. Edrena graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations, summa cum laude, from American Military University in June 2019. She is now pursuing a Master’s in Applied Intelligence at Georgetown University. Upon retirement from the Army, Edrena plans to use her degree to begin a career with the FBI.

Student

Daniel (Dan) Cordial is currently attending the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University and is enrolled in the Executive Master of Public Administration with a focus on International and National Security Policy. He is expected to graduate in May of 2020, and will earn a Certificate of Advanced Study in Security Studies in December 2019. Dan earned his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science also from the School of Arts and Sciences at Syracuse University in August 2018.

He was voted as the Syracuse University Student Veteran of the month for October 2016 and is an active member of the Syracuse University Student Veterans Organization, where he formerly served as the Community Relations Coordinator. As Community Relations Coordinator, Dan worked hard to make meaningful connections throughout the Syracuse community and organize events with other veteran and service organizations; he continues this mission as a committee member. He has been a Peer Advisor in the Peer Advisors for Veteran Education program at Syracuse University since 2017 and has consistently demonstrated his willingness to assist student veterans as they transition into higher education. Dan is dedicated to building a sense of community for student veterans at Syracuse University.  Outside of the Syracuse University community, Dan spends his time working and volunteering for New York State organizing the annual veteran’s event held at the New York State Capital in Albany.

Veteran

Dan served in the United States Army from 2006-2011 and achieved the rank of Sergeant. He completed basic training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina in June 2006 and in December 2006, he graduated from Advanced Individual Training, where he was awarded the MOS of 91E (Metalworker). He was stationed at Idar-Oberstein, Germany with the 1^st Armored Division, 1^st Battalion, 94^th Field Artillery, where he served on a General’s Salute Team and mobilized to Romania in support of Joint Task Force East in 2007 where he participated in combined training operations with the Romanian and Bulgarian Armies.

In 2007, Dan was re-stationed in Fort Carson, Colorado with the 4^th Infantry Division, 3^rd Brigade, 64^th Brigade Support Battalion. Upon arrival in Colorado, he immediately mobilized in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom 2008-2009 at Camp Taji in Baghdad, Iraq where he worked on projects developing and improving safety systems for armored combat vehicles. Upon return from his deployment, he served as the fire squad Non-Commissioned Officer in Charge for the brigade’s fallen soldiers and was appointed as the brigade’s Air Assault operations training instructor during pre-deployment training. One year after his return from deployment, he mobilized in once again in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom 2010-2011 and Operation New Dawn. Dan served at Contingency Operating Bases Tallil, Basrah, Bucca, and Um Qasr where he served primarily as the Convoy Recovery Operations Sergeant and the Air Assault operations Non-Commissioned Officer in charge for a great part of Southern Iraq.

Future

Upon graduating from Syracuse University, Dan plans to work for a government agency where he can employ his knowledge and skills to enhance the security of our nation and spend more time with his son, Kayden. Dan hopes to continue his service to our country in a greater, more impactful capacity, and will remain involved in volunteering at the community level as much as possible.

Philip DeTurck is a native of the San Francisco Bay Area and a first-year student in the Master of Science in Foreign Service (MSFS) program at Georgetown University. Philip is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science in International Relations and a minor in Mandarin Chinese.

Prior to attending Georgetown, Philip served as an active duty officer in the U.S. Navy where he was posted to a number of assignments around the globe. Philip served in Yokosuka, Japan as the Electronic Warfare Officer onboard the flagship of the U.S. Seventh Fleet, the U.S.S. Blue Ridge (LCC-17), and as the Assistant Training Officer on the Staff of Commander Destroyer Squadron Fifteen (CDS-15). Philip also served as a Foreign Military Student Liaison at Expeditionary Warfare Training Group Pacific (EWTGPAC) in Coronado, California and as a research assistant for the U.S. Naval Attaché to China at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, China.

Philip hopes to continue his studies at Georgetown concentrating on global politics and security focusing specifically on the U.S.-China relationship and security in the Indo-Pacific region. After graduating, Philip hopes to find a way to continue serving through public service and apply his skills and experience working in foreign policy.

Born and raised in New Jersey, Robert Rivera enlisted in the Army Guard and Reserve after high school, where he completed assignments in Military Intelligence, Military Police and the Infantry. He also served in several emergency assistance organizations, including being a first responder at the 9/11 attacks at World Trade Center as a member of the Edison, N.J. Fire Department. Following his discharge from the Army, Robert enrolled at Syracuse University, where he is simultaneously pursuing an Executive Master’s degree in International Relations and his Master of Science degree in Public Relations.

When Bonnie Lee Miley enrolled in the U.S. Navy 34 years ago, she gave up college and committed herself to service. After numerous tours, she returned home to the Reserves and resumed a normal civilian routine life. While in the Reserves, she got recalled to active duty during Desert Shield Desert Storm because of her skillset in telecommunications. The SoldierScholar scholarship is allowing Bonnie to finish her degree. She is committed to putting forth her best effort, always. Get to know Bonnie.