Alumni Spotlight

Jake VanNattan, 2nd Lieutenant, US Marine Corps

I graduated from the International Program in Crisis and Trauma during the 2015-2016 school academic year. I came to the program after completing Officer Candidates School with the US Marine Corps, as I was looking to further my education before continuing my military career.

I’m currently stationed with the Third Marine Expeditionary Force in Okinawa, Japan. I hope in the future to combine my former studies in Math and Economics with my passion for working in the developing world and pursue a PhD in economics, focusing on global development.

I chose the Crisis and Trauma program as a complement to my path in the Marines. I wanted a program that would give me actionable knowledge and realistic experience in working with crisis and trauma. While academics were obviously important, I wanted a program that focused on hands-on learning that would be useful to me as an officer in the Marine Corps.

The program has taught me much, but my biggest takeaway was a better understanding of the human factors that come to play in crisis situations. I have found that this enables me to better prepare myself and my Marines for difficult situations, and to help others find their appropriate channels to effectively cope with crisis and trauma.

The main highlight for me was the field experience. I learned so much while working with Strong Communities, and was able to implement a weekly father/son soccer group. Previous outreaches in the community had focused on mothers and children, so it was really exciting to see the fathers get involved and connect with their children.