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Interview with SPC K

Hi everyone and welcome (or welcome back) to the blog “Soldier to Student”. In this post I am going to share an interview I had with SPC K, a veteran I got the privilege to serve with and who got out a couple months after me. He just started going to school this semester (spring of 2025) and I thought it would be very interesting to ask him a couple questions about how his process of signing up for school went since he is from a different state.  


Q: “ What education benefit are you using?”


A: “Post 9-11 GI Bill.”


Q: “Why did you choose that option?”


A: “Well after I talked with you I tried looking up if there were any state grants I could use with the GI Bill just to maximize my funding but my situation made it difficult. I am from the Upper Peninsula so I enlisted out of Michigan and despite growing up on the border of Wisconsin, I never technically was a Wisconsin resident, and since that's where I am trying to go to school, I do not qualify for any large grants. Anyway, that is the long way of saying the Post 9-11 GI Bill gave me the most benefits since it covers tuition and gives a living stipend.”


Q: “Were you able to get any other scholarships?”


A: “Yes there are a few smaller scholarships I received which I am very grateful for.”


Q: “Last question, how did the process go for researching your benefits and signing up?”


A: “It was a bit confusing. Especially because each state has their own specific requirements and I just felt like I had to reach out to so many different people or organizations to get specific answers. I will say my school had good resources that really helped me out though.”


This is a short interview I conducted but one that I think gives a little perspective on someone else's experience. If you have any comments or questions please reach out! Also SPC K said he is monitoring the blog if you have any questions for him, he can relay to me his response for me to give to you all!


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