Having spent a decade in the U.S. Air Force, Yale College senior Thomas Ghio is exceedingly grateful for all that the military has given him: a fellowship of life-long friends, an ability to lead, and a path back to college.
"I enlisted in the Air Force at 17 years old, just before graduating high school," said Ghio, a native of Santa Cruz, California, during the university's annual Veterans Day ceremony at Hewitt Quadrangle. "At that time, I was a young man searching for direction.
"I knew that college wasn't for me, at least not then," he said. "I played football and baseball, loved being part of a team and the camaraderie that came with them. And, if I'm honest, I enjoyed being the class clown who could always get a laugh, even if my timing was off."
But as his graduation approached, he felt a gnawing uncertainty about his future. "I did not know what was next," he said, "and I was afraid of drifting without purpose."
He found purpose - and much more - over the next 10 years in the service. And now, as he continues his journey at Yale - where he is majoring in molecular, cellular, and developmental biology - it has been his involvement in veterans groups and mentoring opportunities that have focused his thinking yet again.
"My time in the Air Force taught me how to lead, but my time in these communities, military and civilian alike, has taught me why we lead: to lift others, to serve others, and to remind one another that we are stronger together," Ghio said.
During the ceremony, on a windswept day as crisp as the uniforms of the ROTC cadets and midshipmen in attendance, Yale honored two other members of the university community - Michael Fotos, director of undergraduate studies for environmental studies and lecturer in political science, and Marla Geha, professor of astronomy and physics in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences - for their support of the university's veterans.
