Pitt student veterans share their stories of service, studies in honor of Veteran’s Day

Veteran’s Day is a national holiday dedicated to honoring all of America’s veterans who have served in the United States armed forces, and Pitt student veterans carry stories of service with them into college.

Bobby Karnavas, a junior mechanical engineering major, came from a family who could not afford to pay for college. After working as a nuclear reactor operator in the Navy from 2016-2022, he used the GI Bill to afford his higher education. 

“I do think that America is a great place to live, regardless of political outcomes,” Karnavas said. “There’s not very many opportunities for an 18-year-old to pack up and leave and go see the world, and that was really appealing to me.”

Karnavas viewed his work in the military as a nuclear reactor operator and as a mechanical engineering major as very similar, yet he specifically enjoys engineering, describing himself as a “very science-oriented person.”

“As an operator, you have to understand that there are a lot of forces at play, but you don’t necessarily need to be able to numerically show those things,” Karnavas said. “Engineers design things from first principles.”

From his time as a nuclear reactor operator, Karnavas picked up a philosophy from a fellow member of the Navy.

“His advice to me was to never settle for ‘B’ effort,” Karnavas said. “And I really took that to heart, and I think it really paid off.”

Nicholas Williams, a third-year law student, served in the Coast Guard for 21 months between his undergraduate years at NYU and law school years at Pitt. As a seaman training to become a rescue swimmer, Williams said joining the military was an opportunity to fulfill his inner “adrenaline junkie” and see the world at a wider view.

“I really wanted to get out of my college bubble, my New York college bubble, to which I definitely did. I met people I would have never crossed paths with otherwise,” Williams said.

Williams had always planned to go back to school after his service, but he admired the military’s goal of protecting and serving the United States and its foundations. Therefore, he chose law school where he could still serve the government.

“It opened my eyes to the various careers that are available within the government. Tons of civilians are employed by the military,” Williams said.

Aubrey Montes, a junior biochemistry student, joined the Navy in 2016 as a Hospital Corpsman second class nursing assistant before receiving secondary training as a Hospital Corpsman dental assistant. Her switch from nursing to dental helped her realize her passion for dentistry, and she’s now planning on applying to dental school in the coming year. 

“They put me in dental, and I fell in love with it,” Montes said. “I did dental work on some people who were in the British Navy, and I did some dental work on people who were in the Australian Navy.”

Montes was deployed on a strike group to patrol the East China Sea during the beginning of the Russia-Ukraine War. Soldiers in need of dental work flew off from their ship onto her carrier ship, where Montes would perform dental cleanings while partaking in preparative missile-fire practices.

“It’s an important job, because the entire time you’re out there, we had Chinese ships we could literally see,” Montes said. “You go outside knowing that the enemy is right there and not scared to fire on you, which is something that really puts it into perspective.”

After high school, she received admission to many good colleges, but her family could not afford the high cost of secondary education. Though an out of the ordinary route, she said her experience provided her with preparation few other students receive prior to attending college.

“I joined the military freshly out of high school at 18, and while I was in it, I continued to do college online and knocked out all of my gen ed requirements,” Montes said. “In the military, every time you’re taught something, they call it ‘drinking water out of a fire hydrant.’ That’s how fast the information is coming at you.”

Ian Maxwell, a sophomore finance and accounting double major, joined the Navy in 2016 and worked as a petty officer second class intelligence specialist, utilizing satellites and different types of observational software to view targets in South America and the Caribbean. 

Maxwell said his military service helped him gain confidence in his abilities and taught him to reach out for help, using the phrase “relying on your village.”

“The military is a place like no other. Imagine if all the sudden, they told you you’re going to go to the other side of the country and you’re not gonna have any family near you. You’re only going to have these other people that do the same thing you do,” Maxwell said. 

When Maxwell and his wife had their first son, his military “village” showed up with gifts and helped put the cribs together. This is the community aspect of the military Maxwell pines for but still finds at Pitt.

“The other day, I walked into the Pitt Office for Veteran Services, and there were a couple of veterans there who I chatted with for 15 minutes, and we just hit it off right away,” Maxwell said. “They understood what I was about. I understood what they were about. It was just that immediate connection where you already covered the basis of how you understand another person.”

Stuart Bauler, a senior environmental studies student, served in the Air Force from 2012 to 2021 as a staff sergeant for security forces and was stationed in New Mexico, Italy, South Korea and Washington, D.C. His favorite part of his service was the simulated war exercises they participated in once a quarter.

“We were sitting there eating lunch, and we came flying down the hill. I remember when we came down the hill, we saw the bad guys shooting at our friendlies, and my 240 gunner in the turret started lighting them up,” Bauler said.

At Pitt, Bauler said he struggled to transition from the military’s “going through motions” lifestyle to college’s emphasis on learning and participation. But one of the major aspects that helps and guides him through his college career is Pitt’s supportive military community.

“It forces you to get out of your comfort zone and relate to people you wouldn’t normally relate to. At the end of the day, the military is a cross-section of the U.S., and you get every single demographic,” Bauler said. “Going to the Office of Veteran Services, going to the SVA meetings … Every single veteran has their own story to tell, and they’re all struggling to adjust. Everyone has that weird transitional period as soon as you get out of the military.”