“Because I was on a submarine for so long, I feel like I’ve lost a lot of time,” he said. “I want to do as much as I can and take advantage of all that Brown has to offer.”

Wise’s first-semester courseload is packed with physics, computer science, calculus II and environmental science — “it’s been humbling,” he said — but he’s also joined the University’s growing Student Veteran Society, a photography club, an astrophysics club and the Campus Life Student Advisory Board. He hasn’t yet declared a concentration, because he wants to continue to explore what’s available and develop a renewed sense of identity after “starting over,” something he says many veterans struggle with. 

“There’s a more holistic approach to who I am now,” Wise said. “I can be whoever I want to be. I’m not just Terren the Submariner or the vet. My story is more than that … I’m Terren the guy who also loves baking, who loves playing Minecraft and going across the world to different countries.” 

Transitioning from service to school 

The transition from military to civilian life can be difficult enough, but when you factor in school, it becomes even tougher, Wise said. 

In addition to losing the structure and purpose that accompanies military service, veterans who choose to head back to school rather than immediately joining the workforce are often losing out on much-needed income. 

Though academics were his priority, Wise said he narrowed his choices down to schools that offered a Yellow Ribbon scholarship. The G.I. Bill covers a certain amount of a veteran’s education expenses, but not all — the Yellow Ribbon scholarship matches the G.I. Bill, which greatly offsets costs.  

As part of Brown’s initiative to double the number of student veterans enrolled as undergraduates, the University reworked its financial aid packages for veterans, which now replace all family contributions with scholarship funds and boost Yellow Ribbon scholarship awards, eliminating all out-of-pocket costs toward undergraduate tuition and fees. 

Wise said it was refreshing and a “welcomed weird” to have Brown tell him that he could work if he wanted to, but he didn’t need to — that being a student was his job now. To him, it proved that Brown valued his experience as a veteran, but still wanted to grant him the academic freedom he was searching for as a student.  

“If I never told anyone I was a vet, it would still be just as fun,” Wise said. “It’s balanced, and I deliberately chose that.”

Brown’s emphasis on social consciousness was another reason Wise was drawn to College Hill. From tutoring grade school students to starting a nonprofit with his own money in middle school to help Minneapolis’s homeless residents get access to transportation, helping others has always been his top passion. 

After making the move to civilian — and academic — life, that passion has only grown. His sights are set on establishing new mentorship opportunities for people transitioning out of the military and for children whose schooling was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“I want to be able to help someone get through school and show them where I’m coming from,” Wise said. “I’m a veteran, I’m biracial, I’m first-generation low-income. If I can get here, anybody can get here.”