Veteran advocates for military

Former US Army Engineer Officer Jim O’Brien visited the Marshall community on May 16 in the College and Career Center to inform interested students about different military path options after graduating high school.
O’Brien listed the different military paths available to students, such as the Army, the Navy, the Air Force and the Coast Guard.
With his own experience as an Engineer Officer, he explained why he took his career down the military path.
“As I started my studies, what I found is that I really liked to solve the problems that nobody else could solve, and in engineering, that’s really what it is; it’s a place where you could do creative problem solving,” O’Brien said.
O’Brien emphasized the unknown complexity and value of engineering to the audience and encouraged for the students to explore the offers of engineering.
“It’s a fantastic place to become a creative problem solver if that’s what they choose to do,” O’Brien said. “The other nice thing about it is I really value being part of something bigger than who I am.”
College and Career Center Specialist Gardner Humphreys said that he sets time for guest presenters to come and talk to students about future possibilities.
“I wanted [students] to get a good sense of the range of options that are available to them,” Humphreys said. “Not just in the military, but also more options that are less commonly talked about.”
O’Brien encouraged attendees to continue to look at the big picture of life and consider their contributions on the world.
“I think it’s great that everybody who [attended the meeting] is thinking about their future, and I think that we all need to be doing that,” O’Brien said.