Katie Suwalkowski, a U.S. Army veteran and psychology major at UC Berkeley, has a straightforward approach to life: if you want something, you go for it. When she was 19, Katie wasn’t sure what to do next. She wanted to go to college, but didn’t feel ready mentally or academically. “I didn’t have much going for me,” she recalls. Without a solid support system and uncertain about community college, Katie saw the Army as a way forward. “I figured I was the perfect candidate. I knew the Army would help pay for college, and I wanted to be in a helping role, so I signed up as a military police officer.”
After serving five years, Katie was determined to make the most of the educational benefits she earned. She spent a year at a community college in North Carolina but soon realized she wanted more. “I had put in five years [of service] for this education, so I wanted to make it count. I found out California had some of the top universities for psychology, so I planned for a couple of months, packed up my car, and drove across the country.” Katie enrolled at Foothill College in Palo Alto before transferring to UC Berkeley. “It all worked out perfectly,” she says.
Looking back, Katie believes her military experience gave her the discipline and perseverance to succeed in college. “I treat school like it’s my job,” she explains. “Thanks to my benefits, I’m fortunate to get paid while I study, so I treat it like a 9-to-5.” She credits her time in the Army with teaching her how to stay organized and handle the intensity of Berkeley’s academic life. “Without the military, I wouldn’t be as structured or prepared. I make my own deadlines before the actual ones and make sure to have some fun, too.”