A model for post-service success

The annual boot camp is packed with nearly 16 hours of programming each day. After breakfast, participants meet for a study session before diving into the main seminar of the day on topics like “Contemporary Democratic Citizenship,” “The Constitutional Framework” and “The Ideal of American Democracy,” among others. 

The seminars are followed by three hours of writing workshops, with personalized guidance from tutors who are either current Brown students or alumni.

After dinner, Warrior-Scholar Project staff lead participants through practical skill-building workshops on subjects like time management and community engagement before participants tackle their daily writing tasks with another round of tutor support. The day concludes with a reading session, which wraps up at 10:45 p.m. 

“I think having this accelerated, intense academic experience makes the transition to a full-time program less intimidating,” Manning said. “It sets people up for success.”

Hosting the boot camp marks another step Brown has taken to increase support for veterans and active duty members of the military who are pursuing college degrees. In recent years, the University has more than doubled the number of veterans enrolled as undergraduate students, permanently funded full scholarships for undergraduate student veterans and expanded and upgraded the Office of Military-Affiliated Students’ home on campus.

The University’s continued investment reflects the success of programs like the Warrior-Scholar Project and the remarkable outcomes they help enable: According to the project leaders, nearly 90% of program alumni have completed or are on track to earn a college degree, far surpassing the national average for veterans using Post-9/11 G.I. Bill benefits (54%) and full-time civilian students (61%).

Connection, community and confidence

Throughout the week, participants got to know Brown's faculty, students, libraries, academic advising services and other resources, and each other. 

For James Brandon Ferguson, a 24-year-old U.S. Marine Corps veteran from Talladega, Alabama, the program shattered his own preconceived limits. A first-generation high school graduate, Ferguson said he was skeptical about fitting in at an Ivy League university until he met others just like him. 

“When you get out [of the military], you lose a giant community and you don’t really think that there’s going to be many people like you in an environment like this,” he said. “But coming here, I’ve talked with fellow veterans with the same exact background as me, getting into universities like Brown and Princeton and Harvard. Some of them were legitimately in the same branch, doing the same job, during the same time frame. If they can do it, so can I.” 

That sense of connection has inspired many participants to return to the program as mentors, including Cody Bradley, a member of Brown’s Class of 2028.

Bradley spent five years as a linguist in the U.S. Air Force before beginning studies in computer science at Augusta University in Georgia. In 2023, a close friend and Warrior-Scholar Project alumna took Bradley on a tour of several colleges, including Brown, where they were amazed by the University’s academic approach and welcoming community. 

After returning to Georgia, Bradley applied to transfer to Brown. The summer before starting at Brown in 2024, Bradley attended the Warrior-Scholar Project’s STEM Academic Boot Camp at Wesleyan University. 

“It’s hard to describe, but you have something in common with every one of the vets, and there’s something special there,” Bradley said. “And being surrounded by like-minded adult learners who are passionate about going back into education really fills you up inside.” 

Now in their second year at Brown, studying visual art and education studies with the goal of becoming an art teacher, Bradley is serving as a Warrior-Scholar Project fellow.

“It feels phenomenal,” Bradley said. “I’ve had multiple occasions where I just get chills knowing that I’m directly impacting and helping fellow veterans get not only what they need but what they want in life. I love it.”

The feeling is mutual for participants, who said the program instilled them with confidence and clearer visions of their futures. 

“I’m walking away with more than just the experience of the Warrior-Scholar Project,” said Ferguson, who plans to begin studies at a community college when he returns to his hometown. “I’ve got resources now that I didn’t even know existed, and I plan to use every one of them.”