By Matthew Cimitile, University Communications and Marketing
When Daniel Doty first came to USF St. Petersburg, he felt a little out of place.
Having served active duty in the U.S. Army for five years, including a combat deployment to Afghanistan, he was older than most students and had many different experiences.
“It is challenging when you come out of the military and go to a college campus where you might be 10 years older than most students and just have had a different life journey,” Doty said.
Eventually he discovered the Office of Veteran Success (OVS). OVS provides military-connected students with academic support and a sense of community by connecting them with others who have a similar shared experience.
Doty soon became a regular fixture, helping out in the office and with student veteran initiatives on campus, giving back in the community through the Veterans of South Pinellas County and attending national conferences.
“Though it took me a little while, I found myself getting more and more involved in OVS and it really turned into my home base at college, with individuals who went through as much as I did in the military,” he said.
Doty, 28, will now be the first in his family to graduate from college this summer, earning a bachelor’s degree in Economics.
He began his higher education journey a decade ago in Indiana. At the time, college wasn’t for him. A year later, he left and joined the Army, something he had always wanted to do, he said.
A member of the 82nd Airborne Division as an infantry mortarman, Doty was stationed at Fort Bragg until he was deployed to Afghanistan in 2019 for nine months, seeing combat in Nangarhar Province.
“Seeing other cultures, countries and worldviews opened my eyes to the unique ways of life and challenges people have and to what a good life we have in this country and not to take that for granted,” he said.
It was that sense of not taking things for granted that drove him as he became more involved in veteran affairs on campus and in the community. He not only would assist with OVS duties, but also connected with and befriended new military-connected students. When OVS would host events such as the MRE cooking competition or participate in campus-wide activities like the cardboard boat race, Doty always joined the team. When volunteers were needed to assist Veterans of South Pinellas County events, such as a Christmas toy drive, Doty would show up.
“During Daniel’s time here, he assisted his fellow military-connected students with unwavering commitment. His role as a leader and role model for military-connected students has made a significant impact, inspiring others through his dedication and service,” said Todd Post, director of OVS on the St. Petersburg campus. “We are immensely proud to see him graduate.”
In addition to his many positive experiences through OVS, Doty expressed gratitude to all the professors who were helpful along the way to earning his degree. He said many were interested to hear about his background, were helpful to his studies and were easy to reach out to and connect with due to the small class sizes on campus.
Back in February of this year, Doty was offered a job to be the Tampa Regional Manager for Innovative Polymer Systems, managing a distribution center for a spray foam company. Balancing completing his degree while working full time makes this achievement even more rewarding.
“It means everything,” Doty said of graduating. “I’ve put in a lot of work and it’s meaningful that I’m the first in my family and that it’s something I started 10 years ago. I stopped back then, but I stuck with it.”