{"id":3584,"date":"2019-05-24T12:23:26","date_gmt":"2019-05-24T19:23:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/forourwellness.org\/?p=3584"},"modified":"2019-06-21T16:01:00","modified_gmt":"2019-06-21T21:01:00","slug":"eric-mejia-shares-his-journey-from-being-marine-to-tcspp-admissions-counselor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thechicagoschool.edu\/insight\/for-our-wellness\/eric-mejia-shares-his-journey-from-being-marine-to-tcspp-admissions-counselor\/","title":{"rendered":"A free haircut changed a life"},"content":{"rendered":"

 <\/p>\n

\"\"The military was never in my plans really. In fact, it was my younger brother who found interest in the Marine Corps after both he and I saw a documentary on 60 Minutes<\/em>. I remember back in high school walking home from football practice and a friend asked, \u201cHey Eric, why don\u2019t you join the Marines?\u201d Of course, I turned to her and said, \u201cYou must be out of your mind if you think I am going to join!\u201d Needless to say, a few months after graduating high school, there I was, sitting on the train to San Diego; MCRD Marine Corps Recruit Depot on March 18th<\/sup>. The funny thing about remembering the day you walk into boot camp, it\u2019s like remembering your birthday: You never forget it!<\/p>\n

When I am asked why I joined the Marine Corps, I always joke and say \u201cI wanted a free haircut.\u201d The truth of the matter is I was in a place in my life where I needed discipline. I needed structure in my life and frankly speaking, I was trying to find my place in life. I attended Cerritos City College and though I was never a bad student, it became extremely easy to simply ignore my student responsibility. You are talking about a 17-year-old who found independence. There wasn\u2019t really a sense of accountability and I found myself often hanging out at the student lounge rather than at the library. I recall one afternoon, sitting in the lounge watching TV when a good friend walked in asked what I was doing – it was finals week. I guess it didn\u2019t matter to me.\u00a0 And while I passed my finals with flying colors, I soon realized I needed to change things around! That\u2019s the \u201ca-ha!\u201d moment I needed to motivate change in my life.<\/p>\n

I served eight years in the Infantry unit where I began my career as a Rifleman. After 2 \u00bd have years in the Marines, I was asked to shift my focus to recruiting. I was a Recruiter for the Marine Corps for close to three years. \"\"I take pride in enlisting over 140 young men into the Marine Corps. After my recruitment duty expired, I rejoined my unit where I became a squad leader for our weapons platoon. As a squad leader, I was able to sharpen several traits that I carry with me now –\u00a0 such as judgement, initiative, practicing being fair and consistent. As a Marine, you are driven toward a goal with purpose, jumping at opportunities with self-improvement that increase your ability to reach that goal.\u00a0 As a leader of Marines, we look out for the welfare of our teams beyond simple job descriptions, and even their own personal comfort.<\/p>\n

The military experience also allowed me to embrace things that are outside of myself and have a much deeper appreciation of our individual story. I think this is why I truly enjoy my role in higher education.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve been in higher education for over six years and the most rewarding aspect of my job is the connection I make with our students. Though I\u2019ve worked with many students with diverse backgrounds, I specifically enjoy working with our student veteran population. This population is a very unique group that face unique obstacles as they transition into higher education. I take it upon myself to ensure that I assist them in their transition into college and offer suggestions to help them navigate through academia.<\/p>\n

\"\"What I truly enjoy is being a part of our Admissions team. Every member of the team brings their own unique backgrounds. We are experienced therapists, businessmen, academic counselors, educators, and marketing representatives. We are \u201cThe Breakfast Club\u201d of admissions.\u00a0 Whether it is academically or professionally, each of us brings to the table a story which resonates with our students and that helps build trust.<\/p>\n

Being a Marine wasn\u2019t easy but it was and continues to be the center of my beliefs. I think these traits have contributed to the decision I\u2019ve made as it relates to my professional careers. As a leader, you have a wonderful opportunity to influence, motivate, teach, and mentor.<\/p>\n

\n

Learn more about The Chicago School<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you would like to learn more about programs at The Chicago School, fill out the form below to request more information. You can also apply today through our application portal.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/section>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In commemoration of Memorial Day,\u00a0 Eric Mejia, a member of our amazing Admissions staff, shares memories of his military service and the impact that service had on his life.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":3595,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[704],"tags":[],"coauthors":[1040],"class_list":["post-3584","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-for-our-wellness"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nA free haircut changed a life - Insight Digital Magazine<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"In commemoration of Memorial Day,\u00a0 Eric Mejia, a member of our amazing Admissions staff, shares memories of his military service and the impact that service had on his life.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thechicagoschool.edu\/insight\/for-our-wellness\/eric-mejia-shares-his-journey-from-being-marine-to-tcspp-admissions-counselor\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A free haircut changed a life - 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