Military veterans are one of the great legacies of the University of Idaho. Theyâre celebrated around campus, from Memorial Gym to the Memorial Grove and plaque in the old arboretum. We honored our veterans yesterday with a wreath laying ceremony and the display of 318 flags on the Administration Lawn to commemorate each of the Vandals who have fallen in battle. Dan Francis joined the U of I legacy this fall while extending his familyâs legacy. Both of his parents served in the Army, and he enlisted after graduating from American University. After returning from a deployment to Afghanistan in 2019, Francis began searching for a masterâs program in psychology, and found the U of Iâs Human Factors program to be a perfect fit. âI had experience working in a clinical facility, and that was not a great experience, so I started looking for other alternatives,â Francis said. âIâve always been interested in technology. I found Idahoâs program and it was one of the few that focused on that â how technology can make things easier for people and how we can make technology easier for people to use.â After spending most of his life on the east coast of the U.S., Idahoâs been a welcome change. The General Amos Veteranâs Center helped Francis explore resources and get his financial aid documents in order. The Armyâs Green to Gold Active Duty program is helping him earn his masterâs in two years while completing the ROTC program. âThe Veteranâs Center has helped me a lot, making sure I stayed on top of everything school related as I got ready to move across the country,â Francis said. Already a Staff Sergeant, Francis will graduate and be commissioned as an officer in two years. He plans on a career in the Army, and will no doubt make his family, and his Vandal family, proud. |