| "St. Bonaventure University definitely becomes a second home." |
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While looking for colleges in the United States, Don Mills wanted to find a place where he could train for a career in the military while growing within a tight-knit community. He found that at St. Bonaventure University.
“I was looking at Norwich University in Vermont, a private military college, and a lot of my classmates were looking at various academies, so one thing that brought me to St. Bonaventure was the scholarship for ROTC.
“My father worked on a base and we actually lived in the off-post economy housing, so I was used to a small, close community. A lot of us DoD students stick to our own in Germany, and you’ll find it similar to the Bona Bubble.
“I was one of those guys that liked to know everyone. In a place like Germany where we are somewhat of outsiders, having that tight knit community makes things much easier, and I found the same thing at St. Bonaventure. We draw close to each other. St. Bonaventure University definitely becomes a second home.” |
 Capt. Don Mills, United States Military
SBU Class of 2007
History Major
Heidelberg American High School
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| "You're always going to have a friend." |
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When Elisha Darby was a senior in high school, her father was transferred to Western New York to train St. Bonaventure ROTC students. Although her father returned to Germany, Elisha remained in the area to attend St. Bonaventure.
“I don’t want to say people are cheesy, but everyone is really nice. You’re always going to have a friend, and you’re going to become close with people from your freshman year onward.
“When you are living on the economy [off-post housing], it’s a small community and everyone knows everybody, so it’s kind of like St. Bonaventure. I feel like I know everyone at SBU, especially in my major. I love that aspect, you get to know people face-to-face and you can talk to them. People really get to know you.
“The small classroom sizes helped make me comfortable at SBU. In Germany, we would only have about 20 people, and that’s a lot like St. Bonaventure, so it was an easy transition. I didn’t have any struggle. I think it would be a great transition for anyone coming from a DoDEA school.
“I like St. Bonaventure and I think a lot of military kids would. Traditionally, we apply to these big schools but we usually don’t last because we can’t transition from a small setting to these huge campuses. I think St. Bonaventure is a great fit if you are looking to stay in an environment that you are used to, but still get the traditional college experience. I would choose Bonaventure again, it worked out well for me.” |
 Elisha Darby
Student & ROTC Cadet
SBU Class of 2012
Sports Studies Major
Sports Management Minor
Giessen American High School |