When “God Bless America” played at Dani Bermudez’s naturalization ceremony, the moment gave her chills and cemented her resolve to one day serve in the military.
The Colombia native enlisted in the Arizona Army National Guard in 2017, where she served for seven years as a behavioral health specialist. Her military experience inspired her to advance her career by pursuing a bachelor’s degree in psychology.
About the Pat Tillman Veterans Center
Named after Pat Tillman — the former ASU football player who went on to play in the NFL before leaving behind a multimillion-dollar contract to enlist in the Army during wartime, where he was tragically killed in action by friendly fire — PTVC is dedicated to supporting active-duty, veteran and veteran-dependent students and their families in their college journey and beyond.
Arizona State University’s reputation for working closely with service members led Bermudez to ASU Online.
“I knew ASU was a school that took care of veterans,” Bermudez said. “When I enrolled at ASU, I was immediately welcomed to the Pat Tillman Veterans Center. Even as an online student, I still felt very integrated.”
Bermudez is one of over 20,000 military-connected students enrolled in degree programs at ASU, including through ASU Online, which ranks in the top 10 for best online programs for veterans across several categories.
“Our students who are actively serving around the world are successful here at ASU because our university understands that it is more than being military friendly. We need to be military supportive,” said Shawn Banzhaf, executive director of the Pat Tillman Veterans Center. “Our service members need to have the ability to focus on their mission while simultaneously working towards their degree. It is not an easy task, but the dedicated members of the Pat Tillman Veterans Center and our partners in Ed Plus ensure service members get the support they need to cross the finish line.”
Designed to meet the unique needs of military-connected students, ASU Online includes a veteran-specific department with coaches that address unique challenges and foster a supportive environment for academic success.
As Salute to Service gets underway, we’re sharing the journeys of three military-connected alumni who embody the Sun Devil spirit.
100K lives changed
This year, ASU Online is celebrating 100,000 graduates. By meeting them where they are, ASU Online has helped learners who might not otherwise have an opportunity to earn their degree achieve degree completion.
Embracing a military community of care
Like many students, Bermudez had tried school before. Concerned that her pre-existing GPA would become a barrier to earning her degree, she was relieved to learn about ASU’s Earned Admission process, allowing students to improve their GPA before enrolling.
“Everyone in the process was super respectful and excited that I was giving college another go,” she said. “No one ever asked me why my grades were so low. They offered me resources and encouragement.”
While earning her degree, Bermudez balanced life obligations as a reservist while also holding full-time jobs as a civilian in the National Guard. She rounded out her college experience by participating in student veteran clubs and doing work-study for the Pat Tillman Veterans Center.
To manage work, parenting and school, she leveraged time management skills honed over her years in the service.
Today, she works as the self-directed harm prevention specialist in the integrated primary prevention workforce for the National Guard, a role she achieved thanks to her bachelor’s degree.
But her journey isn’t over. She’s currently pursuing her master’s degree in psychology so that she can better serve fellow service members.
“I knew that I wanted to learn something that could lead to a career in helping people,” she said. “My ASU degree helped me understand people and myself better. It broadened my knowledge in various disciplines and allowed me to succeed. It was a great fit for me and my family.”
From music to military
Tanisha Smith grew up on track to make a career in the music industry. Shortly into her career, she realized it wasn’t her passion.
The Los Angeles native entered the military at 19 and never looked back.
While in the Navy, Smith desired to earn her degree but discovered many schools didn’t have programs to address the unique challenges of enlisted learners.
With ASU Online, she found the flexibility and support to pursue a degree in global health.
“Being able to go to school and continue my education has been important to me,” she said. “That’s all I heard growing up, my whole life. You need to go to school. You need to get an education.”
Despite her love of learning, it didn’t always come easy for Smith. She was diagnosed with two autoimmune disorders that could flare up at any time and affected her ability to type and concentrate.
Reaching out to ASU’s Student Accessibility and Inclusive Learning Services, or SAILS, Smith discovered all of the resources available to her, including dictation, transcription and text-to-speech tools.
Her accessibility coordinator helped her reach out to professors, which helped smooth the way when asking for deadline extensions because of a flare or a deployment.
After 24 years of service, Smith retired the same month she graduated from ASU and began to pursue her master’s degree in family and human development.
Reflecting on her military service while raising five children and going to school, Smith is amazed that she achieved such a big accomplishment.
“My military experience has given me a lot of life experience, work ethic and moral values that I live by,” she said. “I wouldn’t trade that for the world.”
Semper Sun Devil
When Dawson Hendricks joined the Marine Corps, it was for a practical decision: to pursue a college education. He didn’t anticipate how much the experience would shape him and set him on a path of lifelong growth.
After serving in the military, Hendricks planned to use his GI Bill to earn a business degree. A move to Oklahoma and the pending birth of his first child with his wife made him rethink his college plans.
Then he discovered the online business administration program at ASU.
“I wanted to go to a school where I knew the degree would matter,” Hendricks said. “W. P. Carey (School of Business) had the top-rated online business degree, and that was it for me. I applied that night.”
Just a few years later, he graduated summa cum laude as the Turken Family Outstanding Graduating Senior for his class.
The flexibility of online classes made all the difference.
“There’s no way I’d have my degree today if I couldn’t do it online,” he said. “Online was the only way to go. The structure was so well laid out. I had advisors, the Pat Tillman Veterans Center and all the support I needed. Everything just fell into place.”
Hendricks was surprised by how well his real-world experience complemented his coursework.
He discovered that the lessons in his courses were immediately applicable to his job, and the insights he brought to class sparked conversations.
Hendricks also felt a deep connection to the ASU community, even from afar.
His advice for fellow veterans thinking about pursuing their degree?
“If it matters to you, go for it,” he said. “ASU Online made it possible for me, and it can do the same for you.”
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