Veteran, First Generation American, First Generation College Student, First Generation Ivy League Graduate
Soldiers join the armed forces for many reasons. Adam Pawlowski was inspired to enlist in the Marines after hearing a recruiter speak in his American Politics class.
While preparing to deploy to Iraq, Adam was involved in a severe training accident in the Arabian Sea and contracted compartment syndrome in his left thigh. The injury went undiagnosed by surgeons for hours threatening to result in an amputation of Adam’s left leg. Following medical evacuation, and eleven surgeries, his leg was saved. He spent the next year at Balboa Medical Center learning how to walk again.
After his honorable discharge, Adam decided to continue college and was accepted to Columbia 
University with a major in Political Science. The culture shock that many veterans face during the first year was daunting, but he persevered. It was at school that he met fellow Sentinel Pete Kiernan who told him about Sentinels of Freedom (SOF) and how much they had helped him. Adam applied and was accepted into the SOF program in August of 2017. SOF was able to help Adam with his rent until his graduation from Columbia this past May. In addition to the financial support, Adam benefitted from both networking and mentoring opportunities, as well as personal support from the SOF team.
Recently, Adam proudly represented SOF at the New York Institute of Technology Veteran’s Gala in New York. His dedication to the SOF program as an ambassador is his way of giving back to other veterans.
Adam is not only a first-generation college student and graduate, but also a first- generation American. He is incredibly driven and passionate and shows amazing strength and dedication.
To read about other veterans’ journeys, and Sentinels of Freedom’s programs, please visit our website at www.sentinelsoffreedom.org.
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