爆料公社

鈥淚 noticed a lot of veterans needed help,鈥� said Jason Chapman, a retired E-6 Petty Officer First Class with the U.S. Navy. 鈥淚 thought the best way to do that was a one-on-one approach through social work.鈥�

Chapman is a Duluthian who served from 1993-2013. He is currently in the Master of Social Work program at 爆料公社, where he also received his bachelor’s earlier this year.

鈥淚 needed to find another mission,鈥� Chapman said, 鈥渁nd I always wanted to go back to school.鈥� In 2018, he enrolled at Lake Superior College, receiving an Associate of Arts in Liberal Arts and Sciences before continuing 爆料公社 in 2020.

Speaking of his decision to go into social work, Chapman recalled an early source of inspiration. 鈥淚 had a high school guidance counselor who served six tours in Vietnam who was also in a social work program.鈥�

Taking a values-based approach

A lifelong Catholic, Chapman was interested in 爆料公社 due to its faith-based roots. 鈥淭he Benedictine values are the values that I go by,鈥� he said.

爆料公社 is also proud to be a strong supporter of veterans and has a dedicated team to help ensure the success of veterans in higher education. Among this team is Jack Lee, who is himself a military veteran with a degree in social work. Lee is a mentor for student veterans and assists with orientation and reestablishing them in civilian life. This includes advocating for veterans with faculty and staff at the school, serving as a source of familiarity and identifying where any cracks and fissures may be for veterans in the civilian world.

鈥淗e props up those fissures with healthy habits and serves as an example for others,鈥� Chapman said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 already been through it 鈥� he鈥檚 a veteran who completed the social work program, so it鈥檚 nice to be able to drop by his office and pick his brain.鈥�

For coursework, Chapman has found some interesting overlaps between what he鈥檚 learning and what he has experienced himself.

鈥淲e learn about ourselves and each other,鈥� he said. 鈥淲hen we speak about mindfulness, we talk about centering ourselves, thinking clearly and not tunnel visioning; to live in the now.鈥�

Dedicated to helping others

In addition to being a 鈥渓ifer,鈥� or one who retires from the military after 20+ years, Chapman is also a husband and father of two boys, whom he noted are very supportive of his mission. When speaking of pursuing a college degree as a non-traditional student, Chapman didn鈥檛 find it overwhelming, but more of an 鈥渁cclimation鈥� to the contemporary college lifestyle.

鈥淚 think the military raised the bar for me. Five in the morning isn鈥檛 early for me, and we have a saying in the Navy: 鈥榃e work until Zero Dark Thirty,鈥� which means we work until the job is done.鈥�

Beyond work ethic, Chapman also noted another strength that the military has offered him in regards to civilian life generally and social work specifically. 鈥淲e work with all walks of life in the military, all identities,鈥� he said, 鈥渨hich really prepares you for the real world where you will see that again.鈥�

For his future aspirations, both immediate and long-term, Chapman reiterated his mission, 鈥淚 want to cut my teeth at the VA,鈥� he says. 鈥淓ventually, I want to start my own practice helping veterans. I believe it takes a veteran to help a veteran.鈥�