Military students celebrate graduation at Fort Bragg

There were many memorable moments as 20 Liberty University military students (active, retired, and spouses of service members) living in the Fort Bragg, N.C., area received their diplomas at the post’s annual Collegiate Graduation & Recognition Ceremony on Thursday. Families and friends shared in the day, including one special 15-year-old who accompanied her father to the stage to receive his diploma.

That teen was Rosaly Naomy, who was there to watch her father, Efrain Arroyo-Rosado, receive his bachelor’s degree in biblical and theological studies from Liberty. Dr. Ben Gutierrez, Liberty’s vice provost for Academic Administration and one of the featured speakers at the ceremony, told her story of being diagnosed with a tumor the size of a volleyball and undergoing immediate surgery. In her father’s words, “it was a real emergency of life or death.”

Gutierrez described how Liberty professors worked with Arroyo-Rosado to complete his coursework, but more importantly how they, and other Liberty staff, sent him encouragement and prayers throughout that trying time. Applause  erupted as Gutierrez happily told the crowd that Rosaly came through the surgery successfully and has fully recovered. He asked her to stand and take the walk across the stage with her father.

Arroyo-Rosado recounted his family’s struggle in an interview with Liberty’s Office of Military Affairs: “At that time, I was taking several classes, very hard and important ones,” he said. “The support that my instructors gave to me and my family was extraordinary and second to none. I love to study, but the love for my family is much more, and they understood my situation and gave me the time and the support necessary to go through this difficult time. The teachers got their faculty praying for my daughter daily, their emails were constantly sent asking me how my daughter was. … Thanks to Liberty faculty and their support, my experience with this situation was minimized with a successful ending, taking me to graduation with a testimony to tell.”

Arroyo-Rosado’s story was just one of the many tales of military students meeting specific challenges in order to make it to that special day. Liberty’s graduates joined about 160 graduates from 25 other schools for the ceremony. Fort Bragg, headquarters of the U.S. Army special forces and airborne troops, is one of the largest Army installations in the world. The post holds the ceremony as part of its National Education Week celebration. After the processional, the national anthem was played by the 82^nd Airborne Division Band. Dr. Michael Brennan, DHR, Division Chief for the Army Continuing Education System (ACES) at Fort Bragg, welcomed the crowd before David R. Henderson, CSM, U.S. Army (retired) gave the Commencement address. Representatives from many of the universities (including Gutierrez) then spoke to the graduates and conferred degrees.

“Liberty University’s military students are a patch of honor to our institution,” Gutierrez said. Speaking directly to Liberty’s graduates, he told them, “We deeply appreciate you, we are here for you, and we support you. We are honored to have had the privilege to contribute to your training in becoming a Champion for Christ.”

Of Liberty’s graduates present at the ceremony, three are currently serving (active duty/reserves/National Guard), nine are discharged/retired veterans, five are military spouses, and three are serving with the Department of Defense. The average age was 40 years old.

Liberty has over 30,000 service members, veterans, and military spouses studying through its online education program from across the globe. The university recently celebrated its annual Military Emphasis Week and received the Defender of Freedom Award from the Virginia National Guard for its commitment to being a military supportive institution.

Liberty welcomes all of its military students who are graduating to participate in its Commencement exercises in May. They are also invited to a special Military Graduation Ceremony held on campus the day before. Over 5,800 military service members, veterans, and military spouses made up about 30 percent of the Class of 2016.

The Office of Military Affairs supports service members, veterans, and their spouses year-round by offering a variety of special events and educational resources specifically for military students. Tuition discounts, book vouchers, and scholarships, as well as family resources and student care are available. For more information on military benefits and scholarships, contact LUMilitary@liberty.edu.