Photographs by Nick Schede
As Veterans Day approaches, D&S recognizes the veterans and serving military at Baruch College, who number nearly 200. Part of the college’s attraction to veterans are its proximity to the oldest armory in New York, the home of New York’s National Guard 69th Infantry Regiment, right across Lexington Avenue, a place where many Baruch students actively serve, and the Veterans Administration’s New York Harbor health-care system a few blocks away.
When Baruch’s Student Veteran Association, which has 30 members, needed to upgrade its space, it won a grant from the Student Veterans of America, in Washington, and Home Depot. The $8,090 award allowed the college’s veterans to transform their space, on the third floor of the Vertical Campus building, into a place for camaraderie and support.
The following photos show some of Baruch’s veterans as they served and as students. And what the club room represents to them. (The photos of the veterans at Baruch were taken earlier this year; all but Nicholas Schede and Honey Fender have graduated recently.)
Elson Lennox Gloster
U.S. Marine Corps
Marine base, Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii
Area of study: business administration and accounting
“To me, the SVA club room is considered a place where I feel comfortable studying. Also, when I am not in study mode, I consider the room to be a place where my buddies and I socialize and hold meetings about current issues…it’s good to stay up to date with what’s going on in the world!”
Honey Beatrice Fender
U.S. Army
Stationed in Mannheim and Weisbaden, Germany
Deployed to Camp Liberty, Iraq
Area of study: marketing
“I can always get resourceful information for school, VA, and life, and it’s a place to work on my school projects.”
Jack Sullivan
U.S. Army (National Guard)
Camp Smith, Cortlandt Manor, N.Y.
Deployed to Iraq in 2004
Area of study: international marketing
“It’s a place to congregate with a collective group of individuals who come from a similar background to achieve like minded goals.”
Javier Alvarado
U.S. Navy
Stationed in Norfolk, Va., 2002-2006, Jacksonville, Fla., 2007-2008
Deployed with USS Detroit as an aviation electrician with Helicopter Combat Support Squadron 6, Detachment 1, Sept. 2003-Feb. 2004, in support of the Aircraft Carrier Enterprise Strike Group, which supported troops in Iraq.
Deployed with Helicopter Sea Combat Support Squadron 26, Detachment 1 (Desert Hawks), April-Oct. 2006, stationed in Manama, Bahrain, as part of Commander Joint Task Force 53, providing logistical support, search and rescue, and aviation assets to Commander 5th Fleet.
Area of study: public affairs, political science
“The room allows me to build lasting friendships with other veterans and to focus on my studies.”
Nicholas Andrew Schede
U.S. Army
Fort Carson, Colo., 52nd Engineer Battalion, 2010-2014
Deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, Kuwait
Deployed to Cambodia for civil engineering project
U.S. Army National Guard 2014-2016, Camp Smith, Cortlandt Manor, N.Y.
Area of study: business communication and journalism
“The room to me, provides an opportunity to build relationships with my veteran classmates and share our stories.”
Warren Kevin Cheng
U.S. Marine Corps
6th Communication Battalion, Brooklyn
Area of study: political science
“It provides me a place where I can sit down and enjoy my lunch with other veterans on campus.”
Jobet Sean Bautista Roxas
U.S. Air Force
Westover Air Reserve Base, Chicopee, Mass.
Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska
Deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom to Kuwait, Qatar, Kyrgystan
Area of study: operation management
“This is a great place to have a sense of community and connect with others just like us.”
