Panel: Military Service as a DEI Identity

Event Description

Military service is often left out of DEI conversations and yet, like other protected class categories, it holds a distinct identity: one that veterans and active military members must weigh against other identities that they hold and is often misunderstood. The United States Military is the most diverse employer in the country and has led the way in expanding its meaning of servicemember to advance racial, gender, gender expression, and sexual orientation boundaries decades before the civilian workforce. How have they embraced and leveraged this diversity to create effective units over time?

Please join the LSA DEI Office in a panel discussion with military-connected students and staff from the University of Michigan as we talk about the inclusion of military service in our DEI campus initiatives.

Moderated by Phil Larson

Associate Director for Transition Programs, Veteran and Military Services

Hired in June 2008, Philip Larson serves as the director of the program, coordinating services and resources for new and current military-connected students to assist in their transition to the university. A veteran of the United States Air Force (four years) and the United States Air Force Reserve (three years), Larson received his B.S. in Biology and his M.S. in Student Affairs Administration, both from Indiana University. Prior to joining the ONSP, he worked in student services affairs at U-M, The Ohio State University, and at Arkansas State University, where he designed and implemented a variety of programs and services for students.

Panelists

Carlos Castillo

Master Sergeant (MSG) Carlos Gerardo Castillo enlisted in the U.S. Army from Lima, Ohio in2007. He deployed to Operation Iraqi Freedom from 2010-2011, in Afghanistan supportingOperation Enduring Freedom from 2013-2014, in NATO from 2011-2014, and in 2017-2020 tosupport our European allies. Carlos deployed to Poland in 2017-2018 to support EnhancedForward Presence to deter military aggression.

Carlos served as a Drill Sergeant, mentoring over 540 Civilians into Soldiers during his two-yearassignment at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. Carlos has served as an Equal Opportunity Officer and aSexual Assault Prevention Officer during his operational assignments abroad.

Carlos is currently assigned as a Military Science Instructor at Michigan’s Army ROTCDepartment, where he assists in mentoring, teaching, and guiding Cadets as rising leaders in theArmy. He also transferred to Michigan as an undergraduate majoring in History and willgraduate in 2024.

Carlos’ favorite subject is his undergraduate thesis course HIST 499, where hehas actively researched tribalism in Afghanistan (Pashtunwali) and it’s place with modernity.His next role will be at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, where he will serve as a Company FirstSergeant overseeing Drill Sergeants and Trainees as his final assignment before retirement.Carlos plans to continue his education through the Cornell’s MPA program to pivot his servicetowards UNICEF following his retirement from the Military.

Andrew Cleveland

Industrial and Operations Engineering 2024

Andrew served in the US Navy, Special Operations for 8 years (2012-2020) as EOD Technician (Explosive Ordnance Disposal - the Special Operations Bomb Squad for the Navy SEALs). He was deployed to the Middle East in 2016.

While not deployed, Andrew supported the U.S. Secret Service as White House Bomb Squad Team Leader, protecting POTUS and the First Family, as well as former U.S. presidents, visiting dignitaries, and heads of state on missions across the globe.

Andrew is the outgoing President of the Student Veterans of America at the University of Michigan. After graduating this May with a degree in Industrial and Operations Engineering he is excited to pursue a career in management consulting within aerospace and defense sectors, with the eventual goal of entrepreneurship within government and military contracting.

Laura Clinton

MSW Candidate 2025
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I retired as a Master Sergeant from the Marine Corps in 2018 after 26 years. I held a variety of positions but some of my favorites were at Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island, SC; The American Embassy in Bangkok, Thailand; Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command; Director, Marine Corps Staff, Pentagon; and Wounded Warrior Battalion- East, Camp Lejeune, NC.

My main job in the Marine Corps was Administration but I was also a Recruiter, Marine Corps Martial Arts Black Belt instructor, and Equal Opportunity Representative.

Michele Curry

Campus Climate Support /Expect Respect Program Coordinator

She/Her

Michele serves as the Campus Climate Support/Expect Respect Program Coordinator in the Dean of Students Office at the University of Michigan. As part of the Dean of Students team, Michele is committed to providing support for those who may have been targets of or affected by campus climate concerns, assists and supports students who are experiencing life situations or complex issues impacting their Michigan experience. Michele also oversees the Expect Respect program, which helps promote the values of respect and inclusion and supports a campus climate that aims to support every person to be their authentic self and be treated with dignity and respect.

Prior to coming to the University of Michigan, Michele served in the United States Army, worked for General Motors in Sales, Service, Marketing and Manufacturing in Springhill, Tennessee, as well as a non-denominational servant-leader in ministry for over 10 years. She started working at the University of Michigan in 2018. Michele earned her bachelor’s degree in communications in Radio, TV & Film Production from Wayne State University and a master’s degree in psychology from the University of the Rockies in 2013. She is currently working on her 2nd master's degree in social work (Interpersonal Practice in Integrated Health, Mental Health, and Substance Abuse Pathway) at the University of Michigan.

Margo Mahan

Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology and a 2017 Collegiate Fellow

Margo Mahan earned her bachelor’s degree at West Point Academy in 1999 and went on to serve in the U.S. Army through 2004 rising through the ranks from Second Lieutenant to Captain. She also served as Captain in the U.S. Army Reserves from 2007-2010. She earned her PhD in Sociology from UC Berkeley in 2017. She joined the U-M Department of Sociology in 2017 as a Collegiate Fellow and is currently an assistant professor.

Nick Read

University of Michigan | Class of 2026
Student Veteran Transfer Bridges Ambassador
Vice President, Student Veterans of America (SVA)-Michigan Chapter

I grew up in Oakland, CA, and enlisted in the Marine Corps during my senior year of high school. Throughout my nearly 9 years of service, I undertook diverse roles and leadership positions, however, my primary jobs were as a Helicopter Mechanic/Inspector, Helicopter Aircrewman/Gunner, Quality Assurance Representative, and Airframes Division Chief. In 2021, I was honorably discharged.

After receiving an initial rejection from the University of Michigan, I met with Michael Hartman for guidance on future applications and how to be a competitive applicant. This led to my participation in a Warrior Scholar Academic Bootcamp at U of M in July 2021, during which I reacquainted myself with effective study habits. Dealing with the challenges of online learning during the pandemic, I took a hiatus from academics for two semesters. During this time, I interned with Achieve Tahoe, gaining certification to teach adaptive skiing to disabled Veterans and individuals with various physical, developmental, and cognitive disabilities.

Inspired by this experience and the positive accounts of my fellow interns, I returned to community college and excelled in the in-person learning format. I reapplied to U of M and was successfully admitted. In August of this past year, my fiancée and I relocated from the Bay Area to Ann Arbor.

Currently, alongside my studies, I serve as a Veteran Transfer Bridges Ambassador for LSA Transfer Student Recruitment and hold the position of Vice President in the Student Veterans of America (SVA) University of Michigan Chapter.

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