WYOMISSING, Pa. — As a U.S. marine, Kevin Michaels has dedicated his life to serving his country. But his service came at a cost: He developed post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) during his time in Afghanistan. Now, it is his mission to use his experience to help others. Michaels will graduate from Penn State Berks with a bachelor’s degree in psychology at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 10, at the Santander Arena in Reading.
Michaels was born and raised in Naperville, Illinois. In 2011, after high school graduation, he decided to enlist in the U.S. Marine Corps.
He served two tours in Afghanistan as a combat engineer and rose through the ranks to become sergeant. Then in 2017, Michaels was diagnosed with PTSD. The following year, he was honorably discharged from the Marines, and he took some time to focus on his recovery. He moved to Pennsylvania and spent the next three years in and out of treatment, getting the help that he needed.
As they say, when one door closes, another opens. While getting treatment through the Veterans Administration, Michaels shared that he was interested in eventually working with other veterans as a social worker. He learned that he needed to earn a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree to become a social worker in Pennsylvania. And he also learned about the Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E) program, which provides services to help veterans with a disabilities, such as PTSD, with job training, education and much more.
In 2021, amid a global pandemic, Michaels decided that he wanted put his experience with PTSD and his benefits through the VR&E to work helping others by earning a bachelor’s degree — the first step on his journey to become a social worker. Since he wanted to be a Penn Stater from the time he played football in high school and found that Penn State Berks offers a bachelor’s degree in psychology, the college was a natural fit.
For the next four years, Michaels worked toward his degree while getting treatment. During his time at Penn State Berks, he completed an internship at Triangle Therapeutic Riding in Lancaster. There, he shadowed an equine therapist and had an opportunity to lead a veteran trauma therapy group in a semi-clinical setting.
In addition, Michaels served as an adult student mentor to other nontraditional students at the college.
Through his hard work and excellent grades, Michaels was inducted into the National Psychology Honors Association, Psi Chi.
“I loved my time here at Penn State Berks as it has given me the tools for my toolbox so I can help others to the best of my ability,” stated Michaels.
After graduation, Michaels plans to continue his journey by enrolling in Alvernia University’s master’s degree program in social work this fall, taking him one step closer to realizing his dream of becoming a social worker and helping other veterans heal.
