In the Marine Corps from 2006 to 2010, Weston Nicholson, a native of Cloverdale, Indiana was stationed at MCAGCC Twenty-nine Palms in California. After being deployed twice to Iraq with the Marines and three times to Afghanistan with the Department of Defense, Weston wanted to further pursue his education.

“I wasn’t sure working for the Department of Defense was what I wanted, so I went to pursue my degree,” he said. “Try as I might, I couldn’t decide what the best field of study was to enter, so I decided on General Studies. It was online, so I could work towards a degree while I was deployed in Afghanistan.”

Weston wanted to continue his service while getting his degree, so he was in search of an online school.

Like many Hoosiers, Weston was familiar with Ivy Tech Community College and knew Ivy Tech could give him the option to pursue his degree online.

“When I was considering what college to go to, I needed a college with an online degree program. Ivy Tech gave me that option.”

Soon after completing his degree at Ivy Tech, Weston decided he wanted to further explore his education. He decided to attend the University of Michigan, and not long after applying, he was accepted.

“Education is imperative nowadays, so I knew I wanted to go to college even though I had a fantastic job,” said Weston. “Ivy Tech has helped me push towards my goals, it helped me get into the University of Michigan, which I don’t think I would have otherwise been able to do.”

Weston recommends Ivy Tech to anyone in the military.

“As someone in the military, you get a lot of universities/institutions that have a presence on base. They aren’t always accredited, but Ivy Tech is. I would recommend Ivy Tech Community College because of their reach in the Midwest.”

Weston believes Ivy Tech set him up for success and gave him a sense of what he wanted to do in the future.

“Ivy Tech does justice to those fields that need to be filled in the future.”

Weston graduated from Ivy Tech in 2014, and then went on to receive his bachelor’s at University of Michigan.