Marine Corps veteran Ryan Pavel is transforming the journey to higher education for fellow veterans through dedicated support and preparation. As the CEO of the Warrior-Scholar Project (WSP), Pavel is guiding veterans and active-duty military members toward academic success and beyond.
The Warrior-Scholar Project offers one-week boot camps across college campuses, focusing on three key areas: college readiness, business, and STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math). This initiative has empowered over 2,800 veterans to pursue their educational goals, with a remarkable college graduation rate of nearly 90% among its alumni.
From Marine Corps to Academia
Ryan Pavel’s journey began at 17 when he was not accepted into his dream college, prompting him to join the Marine Corps. “Instead of licking my wounds and just staying at home, I’m gonna go do something else,” Pavel shared with DAV.
Pavel’s military service as a linguist in Iraq inspired him to reconsider his academic ambitions with greater determination. Although initially rejected by the University of Michigan, Pavel’s persistence paid off when he reached out to the admissions office. “The difference was that, at that point, I had a lot more drive and I had grown,” he explained.
With the guidance he received, Pavel completed community college courses and was eventually accepted into the University of Michigan, where he earned a bachelor’s degree, followed by a law degree from the University of Virginia.
Empowering Veterans for Academic Success
Among the program’s successful participants is Paul Donato, a former Marine and member of Disabled American Veterans (DAV). Donato benefited from Warrior-Scholar boot camps in college readiness and STEM at prestigious institutions such as Harvard University and MIT.
Donato, motivated to join the military after 9/11, found the program’s understanding of veterans’ unique experiences particularly beneficial. “We’re all there to be the best version of ourselves,” Donato remarked. “And I think everybody came out of the program extremely hungry and eager to just learn.”
Collaboration with Prestigious Institutions
The Warrior-Scholar Project collaborates with several Ivy League and top-tier universities, including Brown, Yale, Princeton, Stanford, and Michigan State, to host its boot camps. This collaboration aims to instill confidence in veterans that they belong in these esteemed institutions.
Participants like Tom Nelligan, an Army veteran and junior at Harvard University, have found the experience transformative. “It really gives you that agency of your own, kind of like destiny in a lot of ways, which is just remarkable,” Nelligan noted.
Donato’s experience with the program reignited his educational ambitions. Now a sophomore at LaGuardia Community College, he plans to transfer to Princeton University to pursue a career in equity research.
The Warrior-Scholar Project is preparing for its next boot camp session in the summer, and veterans interested in participating can apply through its website.
