Fowler Student Military Veterans Share Their Stories
As Americans recognize and honor those who have served in the U.S. military on Veterans Day, those of us at the Fowler College of Business at San Diego State University wish to pay a special tribute to our students, alumni, faculty and staff who have proudly worn the uniforms of our armed forces.
This year, we spoke to five student veterans within the Fowler College of Business to learn more about their military experience, motivation for earning their business degree, and hopes and dreams for the future. These are their stories:
Nikita Barnes hopes to open a Jazzercise studio after earning her business degree from SDSU
Nikita Barnes
U.S. Navy Veteran
General Business Major
When St. Louis native Nikita Barnes retired from the U.S. Navy after a 20-year career in 2016, she already had a plan in place. “My plan has always been to return to college after the Navy no matter how long it would take to graduate,” she said. “Anything is possible.”
Barnes, now a senior, initially enlisted in the Navy “to travel and see the world.” She said the most important part of her military experience was that she learned the importance of helping others and that she is “proud and grateful to give a helping hand wherever needed.”
Following her retirement from the Navy, chose to make her last duty station, San Diego, her permanent home and she enrolled at SDSU to fulfill her dreams of becoming an entrepreneur.
Barnes’ dreams may soon become a reality since she is slated to earn her general business bachelor’s degree in December 2021. “I am a certified Jazzercise instructor,” she said. “Once I graduate, I want to open my own Jazzercise center.”
Jessica Bockman
U.S. Navy Veteran
General Business Major
Jessica Bockman holds her son,
James Dean Bockman
One of the attributes that defines Jessica Bockman is her willingness to be first. When she graduates from the Fowler College of Business at San Diego State University in December 2021, she will be the first person in her family to earn a bachelor’s degree. She is also from a first-generation Mexican American family, and she was the first person in her family to join the U.S. military.
It was always Bockman’s plan to attend college and one of her primary motives for joining the Navy was the educational benefits offered to military personnel. She was honorably discharged in 2015 and began taking classes shortly afterward at San Diego City College, where she earned her associate’s degree in 2019. A native of Los Angeles, Bockman chose to complete her bachelor’s degree at SDSU because she wanted to attend a university in San Diego that had “a great business program.”
Bockman said she chose to major in general business at SDSU “because it’s a diverse program where I’ve learned a little bit from every aspect of business.” She also became an officer in SDSU’s Hispanic Business Student Association and she said the workshops and skills she learned through the association and her educational experience helped her to start her career as a full-time estimator at a local fire alarm and security systems company. Even in her new role, Bockman continues to be a trailblazer as the first female to hold that position in the company.
As Bockman transitions out of her life as a student and into her career, she said she will miss many aspects about her days at SDSU. “It’s definitely a bittersweet feeling to know that this chapter of my life is closing, but I know that a new chapter filled with new memories and adventures is coming,” said Bockman, a married mother of two. “It makes be feel proud that I can be an example to my little sister, as well as my children. Anything is possible if you set your mind to it.”
JakeBryan Bonifacio
U.S. Navy Veteran
MBA Candidate
JakeBryan Bonifacio stands on a flight deck
during his service in the U.S. Navy
JakeBryan Bonifacio had three motivating factors for joining the U.S. Navy shortly after he graduated from high school: He wanted to gain leadership skills, serve his country, and be a role model to his four younger siblings.
Bonifacio met the first two goals through his six-and-a half-year Naval career where he eventually supervised 36 people as an aviation ordnanceman (petty officer second class) as he managed the storage, servicing, inspection and handling of weapons and ammunition carried aboard Naval aircraft. However, since he had wanted to pursue a college education prior to his military enlistment, and upon completion of his service, he used the educational benefits he earned in the military to return to school to meet that long-held goal.
After earning his associate’s degree at a San Diego-area community college, Bonifacio chose to complete his bachelor’s degree at SDSU because he “was aspiring to be a part of the Aztec community to embody the positive culture and inclusivity San Diego State represents.” He chose to major in marketing because “Marketing is an unprecedented science that can be used to either benefit or repel the action of a person, company, trend or many other ideals,” he said. “With the right approach, marketing is a powerful tool that can make an enormous difference when the right strategies are used.”
Bonifacio earned his bachelor’s degree in marketing from SDSU in the spring of 2021, and he chose to continue with his education by earning his MBA at the Fowler College of Business. “Although I held leadership positions both in the military and after my service, I felt that earning an MBA would accentuate my leadership experience and provide a distinguishing accomplishment on my resume,” said Bonifacio. “I also believe that an MBA education would add to my business skillset and allow me to negotiate a better starting salary after graduation.”
When he completes his MBA degree program in the spring of 2023, Bonifacio says he will pursue a career in an industry that “best aligns with my values and work-life culture,” but that’s not the only objective he has in mind. “By earning my MBA, I intend to continue to be a positive role model and influence for my family, friends and colleagues.”
Jerrodo Butler poses with wife, Kenya, at during a military formal
Jerrodo Butler
U.S. Marine Corps Veteran
Management Information Systems Major
Jerrodo Butler joined the U.S. Marine Corps because “I wanted to join the branch of the military that provided the most challenging physical and mental training.” Butler, now a senior, continued by saying “The best part of my service was the comradery, teamwork and leadership I experienced.”
In 2013 — after serving 16 years of active duty with the Marines — Butler became a reservist and joined San Diego-based defense contractor General Atomics as a full-time department administrator the same year. By the time he retired from the reserves in 2020, he had already earned an associate’s degree in business administration and he is working on completing his management information systems (MIS) degree from SDSU by the fall of 2021.
“I chose to attend SDSU because I was told that SDSU had an excellent business program and veteran support system,” he said. “I’m majoring in MIS because I am interested in information technology and how information systems help businesses achieve their goals.”
Once he graduates, Butler plans to continue working at General Atomics where he hopes to advance his career as a business analyst post-graduation. “My time at SDSU has been challenging and rewarding and I will be extremely proud to receive my MIS degree,” he said. “I congratulate all students who are preparing to graduate and encourage continuing students to keep up the hard work.”
Robert Cheney decided to attend earn a business degree when he was stationed at sea
Robert Cheney IV
U.S. Coast Guard Veteran
Marketing Major
Robert Cheney joined the U.S. Coast Guard immediately after high school because “I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do in life and had always wanted to serve my country,” he said. After his first deployment in the Bering Sea and the Arctic Ocean and a second in the Eastern Pacific, he decided to earn a business degree. “I had time to think about what I actually wanted in life and set goals for myself while I was staring out at the ocean during my first year of service” said Cheney, now a senior. “And even though I was exploring the world, I envisioned what I wanted in life and I knew the only way to attain my goals was to attend college.”
Cheney decided to attend SDSU because he’s a Southern California native (La Verne) and because he “knew that SDSU had a fantastic business program as well as a highly ranked veteran-friendly school.” Before leaving four years of active duty with the Coast Guard, he applied to SDSU and was accepted for enrollment through the SDSU President’s Military Admission Program which offered him direct admission for the spring semester of 2019.
After spending two and a half years of his Coast Guard service as an aviation supply chain and procurement specialist for four helicopters and three planes, Cheney was motivated to major in marketing with a specialization in professional selling and sales management. “I wanted to learn about the thought process people made in purchasing decisions,” he said. “I chose my major when I realized how diverse and fast moving our world is, and that finding and fulfilling people’s needs will always be essential.”
When Cheney graduates in May of 2022, he would like to work in the defense, technology, or healthcare industries.
