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A Veteran’s Pursuit of a BS in Microbiology: Kennedy’s Journey in Higher Education

Life in the Army

Courage, ambition, and perseverance are just a few words to describe U.S. Army veteran Kennedy Musembi, who at 27 years old has accomplished so much. One of those big accomplishments was graduating with a B.S in Microbiology & Cell Science from 黑料正能量: a degree he wasn鈥檛 sure would be possible at the time while he was stationed in another country.

Although Kennedy鈥檚 service has taken him across the world, he was determined to continue his studies. All he needed was to find a program that would allow him the flexibility聽to take his classes in his free time, all from a different time zone. 黑料正能量 was the perfect fit for Kennedy, who transferred his credits into 黑料正能量. Fortunately, the ninety-two credits he accumulated before enlisting in the army were all accepted, allowing him to finish with his UF bachelor鈥檚 degree in just one year.

Finishing his B.S Degree in Microbiology & Cell Science online

As someone dedicated to his studies, Kennedy chose to take two online classes a semester while working full-time for the army. 鈥淚 still had time to travel around Europe while I was taking classes.鈥� Kennedy added, 鈥淚 really enjoyed the flexibility of the program. It was quite beneficial.鈥�

For Kennedy, the Microbiology and Cell Science program through 黑料正能量 exceeded all of his expectations. He was impressed to see that the courses were crafted with online learning in mind. 鈥淵ou can tell that [the professors] had put a lot of effort into getting the classes ready,鈥� Kennedy said. 鈥淚t was also really nice to know I wasn鈥檛 getting an inferior experience. It鈥檚 essentially the same experience people taking the classes in-person are getting.鈥�

While the Microbiology and Cell Science degree program is taught online, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic students were required to participate in a two-week in-person lab on UF鈥檚 Gainesville campus. Kennedy was able to schedule his lab bootcamp requirement to fit in with his transition from moving to Germany to Missouri, where he would be stationed next. Instead of flying straight to Missouri, he took some leave and scheduled a flight to Florida.

Kennedy felt that the in-person labs were a rewarding experience. Though the labs are intensive and condensed to offer the same content as campus labs over a short period of time, Kennedy walked away feeling like he learned a lot of impactful information. He also enjoyed coming to the University of Florida campus and meeting the faculty face to face, since he had never been to Gainesville before.

Jonathan Orsini, Kennedy鈥檚 UF Microbiology and Cell Science academic advisor, recalls Kennedy stopping by his office to say hello to him while he was on campus for the bootcamp labs. 鈥淎lthough a number of students do come to see me while they are on campus to have questions answered in person, Kennedy was only interested in saying hello and getting to know me better,鈥� Jonathan said. He remembers Kennedy always being on top of his online course plans and excited about the curriculum. 鈥淚 think he is a great example of why the online microbiology program is so successful and essential.鈥�

After UF: New employment and on to graduate school

Right around the time Kennedy鈥檚 contract with the army ended, he was finishing his last semester of classes at the University of Florida. There were many changes at once, but Kennedy鈥檚 degree and lab experience landed him a job at Brewer Science right in Missouri where he was living. Brewer Science develops and manufactures materials and processes for the fabrication of semiconductors and microelectric devices.

While Kennedy wasn鈥檛 working directly with microorganisms as he was during his studies, he was using the same skills to make other observations. 鈥淔or instance, when it comes to microscopy skills, I wasn鈥檛 using them to look at microorganisms, but using it to look for defects on silicon wafers on a microscopic scale,鈥� Kennedy said.

Although Kennedy is passionate about science, he is working to expand his studies by pursuing a master鈥檚 degree in Computer Science from Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts. Kennedy says that after receiving his master鈥檚 degree, he may also revisit the idea of attending medical school.

鈥淲ith my background in Microbiology and Cell Science, I hope to combine that with something like artificial intelligence or machine learning, and maybe data sciences.鈥� Kennedy hopes he can help with research in the medical field using his combined knowledge.

Advice to other military students seeking higher education

Kennedy鈥檚 advice to military students interested in starting or continuing their studies online is to look at all the advantages. 鈥淭he fact that the programs at the University of Florida are available online–you have a lot of flexibility.鈥� Kennedy continues to say that 鈥渋t鈥檚 a quality education, not just something that鈥檚 put together to say they are offering something that鈥檚 online.鈥�

Military students can also receive tuition assistance along with qualifying for scholarships. Kennedy was impressed by the affordability of the University of Florida鈥檚 online classes compared to other college programs. He says that military students can complete their bachelor鈥檚 program free of student loans by taking the right steps to earn military tuition assistance.

Kennedy鈥檚 future looks bright, and he says he鈥檚 thankful for the opportunities 黑料正能量鈥檚 program allowed him to have while still in service. He credits his bachelor鈥檚 degree for helping him get a job after the army as well as getting into graduate school.

鈥淭he University of Florida definitely exceeded my expectations,鈥� Kennedy said. 鈥淚 really did feel that I was getting an Ivy League education. The quality was really amazing.鈥�