Five members of the class of 2022 commissioned to the United States Military
June 1, 2022
On Saturday, May 21, 2022, the same day they graduated from Saint Anselm College, five students were commissioned to serve in the United States Military. Matthew Korzec, Jacob Labounty, Caitlin Morgan, and Connor Smith were commissioned to serve in the U.S. Army during a ceremony at the University of New Hampshire (UNH). Jack Schoonmaker, who will serve in the U.S. Marine Corps, was commissioned at a ceremony on campus prior to commencement exercises.
Matthew Korzec joined the “Wildcat" Army Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) Battalion based at UNH during his junior year at Saint Anselm College. While participating in the ROTC program, Korzec became an executive officer for the battalion. Korzec graduated this spring with a degree in criminal justice and Spanish. “I believe that the time I spent at Saint A’s prepared me for my future,” he said. Korzec was commissioned as an 11A Infantry Officer and will be responsible for leading infantry officers in various ground missions. He will begin Infantry Basic Officers Leaders Course (IBOLC) in July 2022 and attend Ranger school in January 2023.
Jacob Labounty graduated with a degree in fine arts and secondary education. He was commissioned to the Transportation Corps of the U.S. Army on May 21, 2022.
Morgan will spend four months at Fort Lee, Va. for Basic Officer Leaders Course (BOLC). Before she departs, she will work as a research assistant and barre instructor. She hopes to pursue a master’s program to become a licensed mental health counselor and conduct research on intervention strategies for children or first-responder populations. Morgan says that she feels “very fortunate to be able to pursue a career in the Army while giving back to my community.”
Jack Schoonmaker began his journey to becoming a Marine right out of high school.
Throughout these experiences, he pursued the completion of a degree that would allow him the possibility of becoming a USMC Officer. Lieutenant Schoonmaker graduated from Saint Anselm College in May 2022 with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice. Schoonmaker will attend The Basic School, warfare training for Marine officers, at Quantico. After receiving his occupational job assignment and completing the necessary schooling, he will be stationed for full-time active duty and can reenlist after five to six years of service. After the Marines, he hopes to join a US federal agency.
The five students commissioned to the military were among the 540 members of the class of 2022 that graduated in the 129th commencement ceremony. Additionally, 22 students became the first class to graduate with Master of Arts degrees in Criminology and Criminal Justice.