My name is Dwight Kengle from Reno, Nevada, and I have been serving my country for more than nine years. I’ve been in the Navy Reserves for over five years and was active duty prior to that. I’ve always wanted to be part of something bigger than myself, which is why I decided to serve my country, as my fathers before me. My family has many generations of military service dating back to World War I, which lead me to continue this family tradition. That tradition includes becoming an officer in the military which was once a dream and is now becoming a reality.
One day during drill weekend, I was reading a G.I. Bill magazine and read through articles about various schools that were military friendly. As I continued to read all the benefits that each school provided, ECPI University’s programs and benefits caught my attention as they cooperated with service members still currently serving. Being in the military means having a demanding schedule which can be difficult, as most schools and professors don’t cooperate with the military’s stringent agenda and missions. I had one mission and that mission was to become a Naval Officer, but to do that I needed to complete my bachelor’s degree. After doing further research about ECPI, I decided to talk to an admission advisor and the rest was history. I enrolled and began my journey in pursuing my Bachelor’s degree in Business Management.
The online environment was all new to me, as I’ve always been used to attending a traditional college campus in the past. Taking online classes was convenient for me because I was still working a full-time job and doing my part time duties as a Navy reservist. All my professors we’re helpful, caring, and understanding. They made it easy to communicate and ask questions.
One of the things that I really appreciated about the professors was that they were all very personable, took the time to explain answers, and were genuine in wanting to help me succeed. The staff members that were influential in supporting me throughout my journey at ECPI were Ms. Nasluchacz, Ms. Herrle, and Phillip White. They went above and beyond in making sure I was well prepared before the start of every new class, motivated, and encouraged me to keep working hard. Weekly check-ins from Phillip White gave me comfort to know that I’m not on this journey by myself. Their continuous support and encouragement gave me confidence to becoming a better version of myself and accomplishing my goal.
That goal was to do my best and maintain a 4.0 GPA. Through all the sleepless nights, I achieved that goal and graduated with a 3.98 GPA, which resulted in producing a competitive application for Navy Officer Candidate School. I was selected for OCS in February of 2020 and I plan to continue my career as a commissioned officer in the United States Navy.
“They went above and beyond in making sure I was well prepared before the start of every new class, motivated, and encouraged me to keep working hard. Weekly check-ins from Phillip White gave me comfort to know that I’m not on this journey by myself. Their continuous support and encouragement gave me confidence to becoming a better version of myself and accomplishing my goal.”
– Online Military Graduate Dwight Kengle
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