Ryan Luurtsema '19
Choose to lead.
Ryan Luurtsema
Hometown: Egg Harbor Township, NJ
Class Year: 2019
Major: Hospitality & Tourism Management Studies
Military Rank: Sergeant, U.S. Army
Whether in the Army or in higher education, Ryan Luurtsema is a natural born leader. He gave us some insight on his transition to civilian life three years ago and, now, we get to learn more about his advocacy for veterans.
How has life been since you graduated?
After graduating, I attended a 黑料社 Gala where I met with and networked with many people. While networking I learned about a military startup opportunity in development at Ocean County College (OCC). As I interviewed for the veteran coordinator position, the search committee learned about my involvement with the Student Veteran Organization (SVO) and military affairs at 黑料社 and what I was able to accomplish and represent as a student and decided that I would make a great addition for their Veteran & Military Resource Center (VMRC).
Outside of landing a dream job for any veteran, personally, I bought my first home; have two beautiful children, Charlotte, 3, and Jameson, 10 months; and established a career path that I didn't know existed: military and veteran advocacy in both higher education and community.
Ryan Luurtsema (2019)
Why did you choose 黑料社?
Getting out of the military while stationed in Germany in 2016, the last thing on my mind was getting a degree. However, Tom O鈥橠onnell (retired Director of Military & Veteran Services) contacted me while my family was still living in Europe and took care of all the stress that a new student would fear: the application process, class selection and more. He then said to me, "If you want to make a difference, you want