A Marine Corps Veteran Realizes His Dream to Experience a New Culture

"Without a doubt, a Pepperdine education along with the University’s veterans services are top notch. It was my first choice, because the University is rated highly for veterans. I would recommend that all college-bound veterans apply to be a PeppVet".

As a child, Isaac Torres dreamed of becoming a policeman and a soldier. When he joined the Marine Corps at the age of 19, he got the best of both worlds—as a military police officer. 

“The first thing I did when I entered the Corps was request to become military police,” he recalls. “I loved every minute of it. It was a dream come true.” During his 5-year assignment, Torres was responsible for performing military law enforcement duties, maintaining order and discipline, and supporting the commander's law enforcement and security requirements.

Upon leaving the service, Torres wanted to attend college and applied to Pepperdine as an undergraduate. “It was my first choice, because the University is rated highly for veterans,” says Torres, who entered Seaver College under the Yellow Ribbon Program.

The Yellow Ribbon GI Education Enhancement Program is a provision of the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008, also known as the Post-9/11 GI Bill® or Chapter 33. The Yellow Ribbon Program allows institutions of higher learning to partner with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to contribute funds to a veteran's tuition needs and other student fees. The program enables institutions to contribute an amount up to 50 percent of a veteran's unmet educational costs with the VA then matching that amount.

Torres majored in Integrated Marketing and Communications, and during his first year at Pepperdine, he learned about an opportunity to spend a semester abroad thanks to a scholarship from the American Legion. “I read about it in one of Pepperdine’s weekly newsletters sent by our director [of veteran student affairs] Eric Leshinsky,” he says. “I couldn’t pass up on this educational adventure.”

Torres chose to spend his semester in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where he immersed himself in an entirely new culture. “It was incredible,” Torres notes. “I learned how to tango, which was a cool experience for me. I saw wild penguins and glaciers while in Patagonia. I also traveled to Brazil and Peru.”

Torres obtained his degree in three and a half years and says his time at Pepperdine was unforgettable. “I made so many good friends,” he expresses. “Plus the knowledge and experience I gained was invaluable.”

Currently, Torres, a resident of Riverside, California, works at his father’s construction business. In the spring of 2023, he will start a new job at Amazon as an area operations manager.

“Without a doubt, a Pepperdine education along with the University’s veterans services are top notch,” Torres asserts. “I would recommend that all college-bound veterans apply to be a PeppVet!”

GI Bill® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). More information about education benefits offered by VA is available at the official U.S. government Web site at https://www.benefits.va.gov/gibill.