Saluting our Peirce military graduates!

WORK AND COLLEGE: Matt Updegrove
attended Peirce while in the National Guard

The dust has settled after our commencement ceremony, and we’ve been looking back at a few of our most accomplished graduates from this year. For some of them, balancing education with the rest of life’s responsibilities meant earning a degree while serving their country. For these men and women, membership in the armed forces means dedicating themselves to a cause bigger than their own -- a quality we honor here at Peirce.

We wanted to recognize two of our recent military graduates here on the blog for the way they combined their working life and going back to earn their degree. First up is Matthew Updegrove, who chose to continue his education while serving the Army National Guard in Afghanistan in 2008.

He studied online while on active duty, and took both online courses and classes at our Center City campus upon his return. And he did it all while working for the Pennsylvania Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services. We were proud to see Matt walk at our commencement ceremony after earning his bachelor's degree in Paralegal Studies. Matt exemplifies what work-life balance is all about.

COMMENCEMENT 2012: Wesley Vesterby came to Peirce
after serving in the U.S. Army

Then there’s Wesley Vesterby, who went back to school after being a member of the U.S. Army. He served in the Gulf War and in the UN intervention forces during the Bosnian War. He made the commitment to pursue his degree after leaving the armed forces, proving that no matter your age or the amount of time you’ve been out of the classroom, you can earn your degree.

Wesley graduated Cum Laude and is one of the first graduates of Peirce's new bachelor's degree program in Accounting. He also served as a Peirce ambassador, and is a member of Delta Mu Delta and the Chi Alpha Epsilon National Honor Society.

We thank Matt and Wesley for their service to our country and congratulate them on earning their degrees. It takes hard work and dedication, but it’s worth it. Congratulations to Matt, Wesley, and all of our 2012 graduates!