Dymeah Casey didn’t have an option to go to college straight from high school. 

Casey, BA/SIS ’22, MS/SPA ’23, comes from a family of military parents and six siblings, so their parents suggested the best route through college could come through the military.  

“It wasn’t really an option for my parents to pay for school,” Casey said. “So, my dad said, ‘You can work or find scholarships, or you can join the army.’”  

After 10 years of service as a cryptologic linguist in the Pennsylvania Army National Guard, Casey entered life as a non-traditional college student in 2020 at American University navigating the intricacies paying for college using the GI Bill through the Department of Veterans Affairs. Now, Casey works as assistant director of veterans services at AU to help others who’ve served in the military. 

Casey is one of more than 350 AU students using VA benefits who are veterans, active-duty service members, or are dependents or spouses of service members. Of military-connected students, 74 percent are graduate students, and their average age is 34. The overall number of military-affiliated students is unknown because not all veterans use VA benefits and, therefore, aren’t tracked. 

“It is a challenge going to class and being one of the older students,” Casey said. “You have this whole career, and then you come back to school. You’ve already found an area of expertise and feel comfortable with learning that specialty. You just need some support.” 

Casey's expertise came from a knack for learning languages—they studied in Spain during high school—so they took the Defense Language Aptitude Battery and scored well enough to study the highest category of languages, Arabic and Mandarin. Casey went to the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, California, to study Arabic and eventually deployed to a support a unit in Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom. 

Casey connected with the Office of Veterans Services at AU as a student worker through the federal work study program and eventually joined the office as assistant director. The department helps students process their GI Bill benefits, but it also serves as a main point of contact for anything a student needs, directing them to the appropriate office for help. 

The office also recently developed a Veterans Services Support Network. The network collects faculty and staff dedicated to learning about the veteran experience on campus. It's a chance to learn about what veterans go through when they are transitioning from active-duty service or when they come as veterans or how to support their families. The group meets quarterly, and Casey said members agree to learn about what resources are available and to serve as a point of contact. The office hopes to implement training for all faculty and staff to help support the military community at AU, which US News & World Report recently ranked 41st among the best schools for veterans. 

OCL and Veterans Services work together with the recently reopened veterans lounge, which closed during the early parts of the pandemic. The lounge has new furniture, a new coat of paint, and day-use lockers. 

“The school is very, very welcoming for veterans,” said SPA professor Kevin Boyle, who served as an Army JAG during his 26-year military career. “I think the school puts a value on it, and I think AU tries to let veterans know they’re valued. They add to the campus tapestry.” 

Boyle said he usually has at least one veteran, active-duty member, or ROTC student in his class each semester. He’s formed meaningful bonds with those students including a few students who developed interest in the JAG Corps. He said veterans bring diversity of thought and a good grasp on leadership and teamwork. 

Many veterans enter AU with a drive to be successful within their field of study, Casey said, because they usually build on something they started in their military careers. Unlike most students, however, members of this community can have the stress of finances that come with independence, and they also have a sense of loss of camaraderie from departing the service. 

“There’s so many reasons to support these students,” Casey said. “The military is a voluntary force. People are choosing to take their time to serve their country. There’s a lot of different reasons people join the military. People are going to school, to support their families, to become a naturalized citizen. It’s a lot of time and a lot of sacrifice.” 

The university will honor veterans, including those in the AU community, this Veterans Day at 11:30 a.m. with a ceremony on Friedheim Quad. Rear Admiral Brad Skillman, director, programming division, N80, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations and former commanding officer of the amphibious transport docks USS Ponce, USS San Antonio, and USS New Orleans, will give the keynote address.