Sparks, a junior majoring in civil and environmental engineering, plans to complete his Master of Business Administration at UofL before relocating to Colorado Springs to work on environmental solutions.

Sparks hails from French Village, Missouri. From 2006 to 2014, he served in the U.S. Army as an infantryman, rising to the rank of staff sergeant. After completing basic training and advanced individual training, his first duty station was Fort McNair, Washington D.C., where he was assigned to the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, known as The Old Guard. Ěý

The Old Guard’s primary role is to conduct funerals in Arlington National Cemetery for active duty, retired, and veteran service members. It also provides flag display backgrounds for press conferences and ceremonies in the Pentagon and Capitol building, and “maintains traditions with the Commander-in-Chiefs’ Guard.”

Sparks performed roles as escort platoon member, full honors firing party member, firing party commander, colors guard member, regimental colors bearer, Arlington Lady escort, and fire team leader.

Memorable moments from his time there include marching in the funeral of President Gerald Ford and serving as an escort at the inauguration of President Obama. He also earned the Expert Infantryman’s Badge, Parachutist Badge, and attained the rank of Sergeant.

In 2010, he re-enlisted and was sent to Schofield Barracks, Hawaii. While there, he served as a fire team leader, squad leader, platoon sergeant, MRAP truck commander, and Stryker vehicle commander, earning the Combat Infantryman’s Badge and obtaining the rank of staff sergeant. During a deployment to Kirkuk, Iraq, in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Sparks sustained injuries from an improvised explosive device.

Several years passed between separating from the Army and choosing to attend college. After choosing to leave Missouri, he selected the University of Louisville after researching schools with environmental engineering programs in cities with a relatively low cost of living.

As a first-generation student, returning to school after a 16-year break, Sparks said he faced challenges, including navigating the Department of Veteran Affairs’ education benefits system. He credits the UofL Center for Military-Connected Students, particularly VA education benefits manager Carissa Gentry, for supporting his transition.

“She always made time when it was needed,” Sparks said. He says from the first time she helped him work through some bugs in the VA benefits process, to personally handling tasks outside of her scope of work, to being an active listener during a “vent session” – she always went above and beyond. Ěý

UofL is proud to recognize and celebrate Sparks and all members and veterans of the U.S. Army on the U.S. Army’s 250th birthday, June 14 of this year.

Second Lieutenant Pavel Buechter was commissioned in 2023 and is currently stationed at Vandenberg Space Force Base in central California, where he is a mission integrator with the 2nd Range Operations Squadron, where he manages and integrates government and commercial launches at Vandenberg.

In this role, he works with contractors like Northrop Grumman, Firefly Aerospace, Lockheed Martin, Stratolaunch and SpaceX.

He supports the launch service providers by making sure they abide by range policy and procedures, along with managing their use of government launch infrastructure.

Buechter represents the range and the Space Force to mission partners, and helps establish the path to mission success. His current focus is managing the restoration and revitalization of a launch complex to support its first mission in more than 15 years.

Buechter, who is cross trained as a Range Operations Commander (ROC), has overseen the launch of various commercial SpaceX launch missions.

In 2023, Buechter was awarded the U.S. Space Force quarterly award for commitment. He has also been awarded various team awards for mission integration and nuclear deterrence.

He said his favorite part of the job is getting to be a part of the team that, “launches rockets and puts satellites into orbit to support the warfighter downrange.”

Buechter said he chose UofL because of the fully online master’s degree and how well UofL supports its military-connected students. The program is also offered at a reduced tuition rate, which matches the military tuition assistance rate.

Buechter said his degree will help him better oversee Space Force projects and make him a better leader.

Louisville native and United States Marine Corps veteran John Davis is a senior majoring in .

After attending a small liberal arts college in central Kentucky, Davis decided college was not for him and enlisted in the Marine Corps in 2012, where he served until 2022.Ěý

Davis then enrolled at the J.B. Speed School of Engineering, which he calls the “best engineering school in Kentucky.”

As an infantryman in the Marine Corps, Davis worked his way up to sergeant, infantry squad leader and marksmanship instructor.

After boot camp at Parris Island, South Carolina, his first assignment was with the 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion in Twentynine Palms, California as a scout.

While assigned to Twentynine Palms he deployed twice to the Pacific. During the first deployment, he was attached to the Combat Assault Battalion in Okinawa. During his second deployment, he was with the Battalion Landing Team of 2nd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment part of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, which embarked aboard the USS Green Bay and the USS Bon Homme Richard.

In addition to Okinawa, Japan, his deployments took him to Thailand and the Philippines.

After reenlisting, Davis was stationed in Virginia at the Formal Marksmanship Training Center as a Designated Marksmanship Instructor. At first, he worked on a range facility on Naval Dam Neck Annex in Virginia Beach.

In 2018, the Formal Marksmanship Training Center’s operations moved to a new range facility aboard Naval Weapons Station Yorktown.

While assigned to the Formal Marksmanship Training Center, Davis’ duties included range safety officer and coach for individual shooters, who ranged from private to general.

When the COVID-19 pandemic struck in March 2020, Davis’ unit was the only active Marine Corps range facility on the eastern seaboard.Ěý

This caused the unit to become extremely busy. He recalls working virtually every weekend for the rest of 2020, as reserve units from as far as New York were bused down to meet their numbers.

Davis is married, with two young kids. He is currently working part-time in his third co-op at GE Appliances and anticipates working at GE after graduating from UofL.

Fenton is a U.S. Navy veteran who served onboard the United States ship John F. Kennedy (CV-67) from 1972 to 1978.

During his service onboard the Kennedy, Fenton was part of the “ships company,” and was responsible for the storerooms, which served more than 5,000 sailors.

This included snacks, cigarettes and retail shops as well as the barber shops, dry cleaning, and laundry.

He spent 17 months in the Mediterranean, six months in the Caribbean, and three months in the North Atlantic. Among his favorite memories of his time in the Navy are the countless ports of calls where he was able to interact with residents. In retirement, he has been able to visit many of these same places.

Originally from Trumbull, Connecticut, Fenton, who is also a retired Xerox chief information officer, has been in Louisville since 1995. Ěý

Fenton is a at UofL, a program that offers students in Kentucky who are 65 years or older the chance to take a select number of classes for free at any state-supported institution. The program, which started in 1976, can count toward a degree or simply be for fun.

Although he has a bachelor of science in computer science and economics, the last 20 years of Fenton’s career were spent as a manager and leader, and he was not actively involved in the hands-on technologies.

Taking classes at the Speed School is helping him achieve his goal of getting educated in newer technologies, he said. Getting back into education was a big change and he has found it to be both challenging and rewarding.

With the knowledge and skills Fenton is gaining in the program, he intends to build tools, games, or applications for mobile.

Fenton said that Ibrahim Imam, an associate professor in the computer science and engineering department, has always been available to help and provide suggestions throughout the program.

He and his wife have four children and eleven grandchildren.

Fenton believes it is very important to continue to learn no matter your age and he is intent on setting a good example for his grandchildren. He said UofL has given him an opportunity to learn something new almost every day.

Serving on the Department of the Air Force Women’s Initiative Team, Nichols has made significant contributions to efforts that improve quality of life, include advocating for more inclusive female hair regulations.

Nichols also assisted in updating the U.S. Air Force’s breastfeeding policy. Under this new policy, every unit is responsible for creating a safe and clean space for mothers to pump while at work. The policy also mandates breaks to allow time to pump and protects the mother’s right to continue to do so while deployed or on temporary duty. Ěý

Nichols’ efforts also contributed to the Air Force revising its parental leave policy. The policy now incorporates more inclusive language and doesn’t exclude fathers as primary caregivers. It allows 126 days off for the birthing parent, and 42 days for the non-birthing parent. Ěý

Originally from Minden, Louisiana, Nichols has served in the Air Force since 2015 as a diagnostic imaging instructor. She now serves at Fort Sam Houston in Texas, where she instructs all Air Force, U.S. Army, U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard x-ray technicians. She has also served at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, and Keesler Air Force Base in Mississippi.Ěý

During her service, she has graduated from Airman Leadership School, enlisted joint professional military education 1, instructor evaluator seminar, and the Air Force Foundations Facilitator Seminar.

At UofL, Nichols credits professor Lori Paris for boosting her confidence in becoming a social worker by incorporating interactive peer-work and assignments.

“UofL has done a great job at incorporating group work into classes and other opportunities to connect with my peers,” Nichols said. “The professors also have been extremely accommodating and helpful in providing timely feedback.”

Nichols and her husband have a 5-year-old son and are expecting a second child. After earning her master’s of social work and post graduate licenses, she plans to pursue a commission in the Air Force as a social worker.

As a chief marine science technician, Robinson is responsible for enforcing maritime safety and security regulations across the United States. His missions range from pollution response to the inspections of port facilities and foreign and domestic vessels, along with ensuring proper documentation, safety procedures and other requirements are met.

A Beaver Dam, Ky. native, Cody enlisted in the Coast Guard in 2007. He is currently stationed at Coast Guard Sector Delaware Bay in Philadelphia, Pa. Throughout his military career, Robinson has served throughout the nation including: Galveston, Texas where he served on the Coast Guard Cutter Dauntless, the lower Mississippi River region in Memphis, Tenn., the Ohio Valley in Louisville, Ky., northern New England in Portland, Maine and the Puget Sound area in Seattle, Wash.

In 2010 he deployed in support of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill support, where he was tasked with locating and cleaning oil from the ocean’s surface using an on-board skimming system. One of his favorite memories in the Coast Guard was on the Coast Guard Cutter Dauntless during operations in the Caribbean Sea. He recalls standing watch when the boat would go dark and all lights were turned off, the water was completely still and he witnessed “a perfect canvas for a moon lit sky full of bright stars.”

Robinson is surrounded by a family of Cardinals; his wife, father, sister, and brother in-law all earned degrees from UofL. He hopes the organizational tools and management techniques learned through his UofL education will help him succeed in senior leadership roles within the Coast Guard.

He said the Organizational Leadership and Learning program is perfect for working adults because, “in each class you are provided with a new organizational tool you can immediately implement or try out at your workplace.”

Hector Gomez, an all-source intelligence analyst for the U.S. Army, is originally from Key West, Florida. Gomez comes from a UofL family—his mom, aunt, uncle and two of his cousins are UofL graduates.

Growing up a big-time fan, Gomez knew that he wanted to attend UofL from an early age. He remembers watching UofL win the 2013 National Basketball championship with his dad and telling his friends in Florida that he was going to attend UofL.

Soon after starting at UofL, Gomez said he made the best decision he’s ever made by joining the Cardinal Marching Band, where he got to watch football games up-close.

Following his sophomore year, he withdrew from UofL for a year and attended a community and technical college.

During his first semester back at UofL in the spring of 2020, he was sent home due to the COVID pandemic. Instead of taking classes remotely, he decided to finish his classes early and enlist in the United States Army to help support his family.

After enlisting, Gomez completed basic training at Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri, followed by training at the U.S. Army Intelligence Center of Excellence in Arizona. He was then assigned to Fort Eisenhower, Georgia, where he served with the 116th Military Intelligence Brigade in military intelligence analysis and open-source intelligence collection.

Gomez’s work supported numerous geographic combatant commands including United States Central Command, United States European Command and United States Indo-Pacific Command. During his service, he received several decorations and awards, including an Army Achievement Medal (AAM).

He is currently being relocated to Fort Campbell, Kentucky, where he will be closer to home.

After graduating, he plans to become commissioned as an Army Officer and either work in civil affairs or to go to law school to become an Army Judge Advocate General.

Gomez, who attends classes online, said without the support of academic advisor Sophia Draper, who always made him feel he was a priority, he would not be graduating next year.

UofL is proud to recognize and celebrate Gomez and all members and veterans of the U.S. Army on the U.S. Army’s 249th birthday, June 14.

Miami, Florida, native Ralph Gonzalez is a junior communications major who served in the United States Marine Corps from 2017 to 2021, attaining the rank of sergeant. When he left the Marine Corps, he was an artillery section chief responsible for 12 marines and over $2-million worth of equipment.

His service in the Marine Corps started with completing bootcamp at Parris Island, South Carolina. After bootcamp, he was assigned to Fort Sill, Oklahoma, for his artillery training. His fleet assignment was to 29 Palms, California, and Camp Pendleton. While there he deployed twice with the U.S. Navy, going to Japan, Australia, Thailand and the Republic of South Korea. He was awarded a Navy Marine Corps Achievement medal which he “cherishes to this day,” he said.

Gonzalez chose the University of Louisville for what he called its “sense of community,” adding he felt comfortable in the city and at the university. He is a big fan of Cardinals athletics.

Gonzalez said he appreciates the many people at UofL who have helped him on and off campus, citing the many great professors from the English department. He also singled out Carissa Gentry and Kristen Roy from the .

After completing his undergraduate degree, Gonzalez intends to pursue a graduate degree. His goal is to become an English teacher.

Since 2010, U.S. Navy veteran and lifelong learner Harry Jacobson-Beyer, of Louisville, has enjoyed studying Spanish as a Donovan Scholar at the University of Louisville.

, offered by the state, enables senior citizens 65 years or older to take a select number of classes for free at any state-supported institution in the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

Jacobson-Beyer, 78, served in the U.S. Navy from 1963 to 1967. After boot camp at Great Lakes Naval Station in Chicago, he began studying electricity as a prelude to becoming an electronics technician. Several weeks later, he realized electronics technician was not the path he wished to travel.

Instead, Jacobson-Beyer became a , also known as a Boatswain’s Mate, whose responsibilities include the upkeep of the ship’s deck and hull. The U.S. Navy calls Boatswain’s Mates “the heart of every ship.”

In early 1964, he participated in a goodwill mission to Africa aboard the aircraft carrier USS Bon Homme Richard. As the Vietnam War escalated, the USS Bon Homme Richard was sent to the Philippines to load bombs and then set sail for the South China Sea. As a Bosun’s Mate 3^rd Class, Jacobson-Beyer was part of the crew that transferred fuel, food and ammunition from supply ships while at sea. He was discharged from the U.S. Navy in June 1967.

After separating from the Navy, he completed a bachelor’s degree in English and political science from the University of Kentucky in 1972. After graduation, he enrolled in the Teacher Corps, and in 1974 he received a master’s degree in education from UK. In 1979, he earned his second graduate degree, a master’s in library science, from Spalding University in Louisville.

Jacobson-Beyer’s interest in Spanish started in 2004 when he started studying at a local private language school. Shortly after he took Spanish classes at Jefferson Community and Technical College. Then he and his wife, Sherry, traveled to Central America, South America and Spain where they enrolled in language schools.

In 2010, a friend told them about the Donovan Fellowship and since then, he has been taking advantage of the opportunities the scholarships offer.

One of Jacobson-Beyer’s favorite things about taking classes at UofL are his interactions with the “focused and goal-oriented” students in his classes. Additionally, he praised the Spanish department saying, “everyone in the Spanish department is exemplary, helpful and encouraging.”

UofL honors and celebrates Jacobson-Beyer’s service in the U.S. Navy and is proud to recognize the 248th birthday of the U.S. Navy on October 13, 2023.

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Following a 21-year career in the U.S. Air Force, Raphael Garcia is excelling as a graduate student at the University of Louisville.Ěý

Garcia is an active member of the campus community serving on leadership councils for three student organizations, including as president of the chapter. Through his efforts, the SVA chapter recently earned Registered Student Organization (RSO) status at UofL.ĚýĚý

Academic success is not new to Garcia. During his Air Force career, he excelled in Professional Military łÉČËÖ±˛Ą, earning an Academic Award at Airman Leadership School, as well as earning Distinguished Graduate from the Non-Commissioned Officer Leadership Academy.Ěý

His seven assignments included three stateside assignments as well as assignments to Turkey, two assignments to the Republic of South Korea, Germany and Guam. Among his deployments included two tours in Kandahar, Afghanistan, and two tours in Al Jaber, Kuwait. Raphael’s major decorations included the Meritorious Service Medal, the Air Force Commendation Medal and the Army Commendation Medal for direct Army support in Afghanistan, Korea and Washington.Ěý

Among his favorite Air Force memories include shooting mini guns from a Chinook helicopter with the Australian Army during an aerial gunnery training, and leading or supporting fundraising events as well as mentoring children at orphanages in the Republic of South Korea and Germany.ĚýĚý

Travel is something Garcia always appreciated, and the optional overseas immersion portion of UofL’s program appealed to him. He attended the University Forum for Human Resource Development Conference and other events as part of the Global Human Resources Development course in Dublin, Ireland, calling it an “unforgettable experience.”Ěý

Garcia also identified the new, $600,000-state fundedĚýCenter for Military-Connected Students as being vital in supporting and guiding the UofL military-connected community. The center, in Brodschi Hall on Belknap Campus, will hold a ribbon-cutting in October, but was already cited as a factor inĚýUofL earning the 2023 Military Friendly® “Gold” designation fromĚý®, a program that measures an organization’s commitment, effort and success in creating sustainable and meaningful benefit for the military community.

Garcia, who will graduate in spring 2024, intends to seek a leadership role in talent development or organizational development after graduation.Ěý