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42 G.I. JOBS | OCTOBER 2017 | GIJOBS.COM GIJOBS.COM G.I. JOBS | OCTOBER 2017 | 42 EDU STUDENT SUCCESS SPOTLIGHT RISING ABOVE Female veteran overcomes a difficult past to become a successful nurse, inspiring speaker and 2017 Pat Tillman Scholar. BY ANDREA LOVAS LAURA TOLVER, a for- mer Marine with a moving story that's inspiring in its own right, is also a shining example of how powerfully a university can impact its students. No stranger to hard work, Tolver's family had instilled in her a passion for caring for others and a commitment to doing whatever it takes to suc- ceed. Tolver's grandmother became a nurse at a time when blacks couldn't even practice in most areas of the country, and her grandfather put himself through medical school. Tolver herself was a natural caretaker, providing sup- port to her mother, who suffered from renal disease and heart problems, after Tolver's graduation from high school. Not long after losing her mother, Tolver enlisted in the Marine Corps with an eye toward financing her schooling, determined to continue her family's legacy of success through education. IN SERVICE OF COUNTRY "I was a black female Marine, which is only 1/400,000th of a percent of the American population. I was deter- mined to make that small figure matter," explained Tolver. "I graduated boot camp as the Honor Gradu- ate of my platoon, and went on to do well in combat training. I was awarded sev- eral Meritorious Masts and was honorably promoted throughout my schooling and transition into the fleet, and even received Marine of the Quarter for my squadron within my first year there. I made it a point to excel and worked hard to gain the respect of my superiors and friendship of my peers." SHAMED AND BLAMED Heartbreakingly, Laura lost much of that hard-won respect and comradery in the wake of what came next. One night, while sleeping in her barracks, Laura was at- tacked and raped. She chose to report the rape, a decision she says she immediately regretted. Rather than being given the support and com- passion she so desperately needed from her peers and superiors, Laura says she was instead ostracized. "I was shunned and also made to work next to the man who attacked me (while the investigation went on). It was the most devastating time of my life. Had it not been for my praying family and look- ing forward to their calls every night, I don't know how I would have survived. I was so depressed, barely sleeping and eating, and had barely any friends I could turn to." To make matters even worse, Tolver's father suf- fered an anoxic brain injury in 2013, and Tolver was ultimately honorably dis- charged in order to care for him. GETTING UNSTUCK Inspired by her family's com- mitment to the medical profession and impacted by her experiences caring for her father, Tolver completed her bachelor's degree with honors and then enrolled in Rutgers University's * accelerated nursing degree program. All the while, though, she pushed down memories of the attack and how she'd been treated afterward – trying to ignore it rather than process it and heal from it. That all changed when she met Fred Davis, campus director for Rutgers' Office of Veterans Affairs. Davis, himself a Navy vet and for- mer police officer, listened to her story and immediate- ly took action, connecting her with veterans' counsel- ing services and helped her access other resources that ultimately made Tolver's university experience one of tremendous healing and growth. "I got help in ways that I never thought a school could help me; I never knew there were so many organizations and resources available. Choose your environment wisely. Choose your education endeavors wisely." – Laura Tolver, DNP candidate, Rutgers University–Camden* *School is a paid advertiser in this issue.