MCC Success: Brian Marcey Moves from Afghanistan to Classroom to Bright Future
Serving for a year in Afghanistan with the U.S. Army left a lasting impression on Brian Marcey, who recently graduated from Manchester Community College.
Marcey, who attended high school at Howell-Cheney Technical School in Manchester before joining the Army in 2009, served with the101st Airborne Division. He was awarded a Purple Heart for wounds sustained in combat, returned to active duty and then, when he completed his military service, he chose to attend MCC because he felt it offered the best bridge to his future.
He enrolled in January 2013 and completed his associate in science degree in general studies this summer.
Now he looks forward to moving on to a bachelor’s degree at Willamette University in Salem, Ore., where he plans to major in politics starting this fall.
He had considered studying to be a dentist, but his academic world opened up after taking a variety of courses at MCC. “I took some science courses but found I was more interested in English and philosophy and history and other social sciences,” he said. “So obviously I was thinking that I was going a whole different way. That’s another great thing that I got out of this experience – getting a better idea of what I want to do.”
Long term, he would like to pursue a graduate degree or possibly go to law school with the ultimate goal of running for public office.
“I’m very passionate about politics and government issues, social issues; that kind of stems from serving in the army and fighting for rights,” he said. “It has a little more meaning for guys like me I think.”
Fighting terrorism on the ground was a frustrating experience for Marcey, but he feels he can fight more efficiently with an education.
“I was a hard-core patriot, and I still am in the sense that I want to serve my country in something that’s more meaningful,” said Marcey. “My dream of getting into public office, of serving my country that way, I think it’s a meaningful next step after what I did in Afghanistan.”
