Veterans
Serving those who’ve served
Like many U.S. military veterans, Alex Grady (BA ’25) had reservations about returning to college.
After graduating from high school in Urbana, Illinois, Grady joined the U.S. Army, spending four years on active duty and enduring a deployment to Afghanistan. Thereafter, he rather comfortably settled into civilian life, earning an associate’s degree in paralegal technology and working as a paralegal at a North Carolina–based law firm. Higher education wasn’t necessarily on his horizon.
Older than the traditional undergraduate student, Grady feared he wouldn’t find a community on a college campus. Pragmatic, he wondered about affordability. Rational, he fretted about returning to the classroom—reading, studying, completing time-sensitive projects, and the like—after years away.
Others, however, noted his promise and pushed him to reconsider. Attorneys he worked with in North Carolina and, later, Illinois, encouraged him to get a bachelor’s degree and attend law school. That support fueled Grady to investigate his options. When he found SCPS’s paralegal studies program, he saw fresh possibilities and a path to law school.
While SCPS offered online courses and a pledge to meet Grady’s accelerated pace, Loyola welcomed military veterans with open arms and established resources designed to meet their unique needs.
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The Office for Military Veteran Student Services (MVSS), for instance, provides access to resources and services to help veterans navigate their Loyola experience, from determining course schedules to applying for external scholarships. MVSS directed Grady to benefits available to veterans, helping him sort through different
GI Bill options, and also connected him with other veterans studying at Loyola.
Meanwhile, the Loyola chapter of Student Veterans of America (SVA) further expanded Grady’s circle of friends. He participated in community-building social events and service projects, including attending Washington Week in March 2025 as a representative of Loyola’s SVA. In the nation’s capital, Grady met with members of Congress and their teams to share his firsthand experiences as a military veteran and advocate for initiatives to enhance, protect, and improve veteran benefits.
“I was never alone,” Grady says. “I was pushed to find purpose and engage in and out of the classroom.”
The support propelled Grady to complete his bachelor’s degree requirements in three semesters while simultaneously studying for the LSAT and submitting law school applications. Soon after earning his degree in 2025, Grady returned to Loyola—this time, as a first-year law school student.
"At Loyola, I found a place that worked for me and my goals. Now, I’m ready to dive further into the deep end of learning and keep this momentum going.”
The Office for Military Veteran Student Services (MVSS), for instance, provides access to resources and services to help veterans navigate their Loyola experience, from determining course schedules to applying for external scholarships. MVSS directed Grady to benefits available to veterans, helping him sort through different
GI Bill options, and also connected him with other veterans studying at Loyola.
Meanwhile, the Loyola chapter of Student Veterans of America (SVA) further expanded Grady’s circle of friends. He participated in community-building social events and service projects, including attending Washington Week in March 2025 as a representative of Loyola’s SVA. In the nation’s capital, Grady met with members of Congress and their teams to share his firsthand experiences as a military veteran and advocate for initiatives to enhance, protect, and improve veteran benefits.
“I was never alone,” Grady says. “I was pushed to find purpose and engage in and out of the classroom.”
The support propelled Grady to complete his bachelor’s degree requirements in three semesters while simultaneously studying for the LSAT and submitting law school applications. Soon after earning his degree in 2025, Grady returned to Loyola—this time, as a first-year law school student.