Editor’s Note: This article is the second story in a 4-part-series of profiles highlighting veterans at Fort Lewis College.

Shea Rivers

Rivers joined the Army after dropping out after attending one semester at FLC, he said.  

“My favorite thing about the military was probably the sense of purpose,” Rivers said.  “You feel like you’re part of something that matters and just wearing the American flag on your shoulder just reminds you that your life matters to your country.”

Rivers went to many specialty schools while in the military and was stationed all over the United States and spent a few months in South Korea.

After getting out of the military when he was 26, Rivers went to community college in Seattle Washington for a one year, but he missed Colorado and decided to move back to Durango to pursue his education at FLC once again, Rivers said.  

“College life in general is the antithesis of the military,” Rivers said.  “There is no more different culture so it was really hard transitioning at first, and I think that’s why I kind of failed.  It wasn’t just that I couldn’t pick a major, it was kind of painful being at school.”

Rivers was put on probation for not going to class, so he took a few years off to work and figure out what he wanted to major in, he said.

He has now been back at FLC for a couple years and will be graduating in the spring with a bachelors in accounting, Rivers said.  

Rivers is glad he joined the military before really pursuing his college education, he said.

“You learn to manage your time better, be more efficient and more disciplined,” Rivers said. “It helped me mature a little bit before college.”