Veteran’s Day Student Spotlight: Alexander Reneau
Alexander Reneau shares about his experience in the Air Force and why he decided to join the Master of Science in Management (MSM) program.
Q: What is your background?
Reneau: “My family is originally from San Antonio, Texas, where I spent my first year of undergrad at the University of the Incarnate Word. After my first year, I moved to Kansas City and pursued a few career opportunities before deciding to enlist in the Air Force. Through the Air Force, I continued my education at the University of Maryland Global Campus and earned a bachelor’s degree in Psychology.”
Q: What do you remember about the day you enlisted? What was basic training like?
Reneau: “I remember feeling a lot of anticipation and excitement while preparing to ship out for basic training. I will never forget the bus ride that night form the airport onto Lackland Air Force base. Those of us on the bus were excited, nervous and had no idea what to expect. When the bus doors opened and the Training Instructors stepped inside, the chaos began.
For the next few hours, I could not recall half the things that were echoing around, but the yelling and running was definitely a wakeup call. After the blur of chaos, I remember our instructors were about to leave us for the night and one saying, ‘Welcome to BMT!’ before turning out the lights. It was dark and silent, with about 60 of us in an open bay barracks.
A few seconds passed, and then you could hear various sighs of relief, some sniffling and a few expletives reflecting everyone’s thoughts of, ‘What did I just get myself into?’ Strangely, for me, I knew I was exactly where I needed and wanted to be.”
Q: Tell us about your service in the Air Force.
Reneau: “For ten years, I was a member of the Security Forces career field and had assignments in Missouri, Italy, the United Kingdom, Washington, D.C., Germany, and deployed to Niger. My responsibilities focused on Nuclear Asset security, general law enforcement, deployment management, and deployed base defense operations.
Through hard work and dedication, I was able to be promoted to the rank of E-6, Technical Sergeant, in six years with three Non-Commissioned Officer of the Year awards and four Commendation Medals.”
Q: What are some things you miss about being in service?
Reneau: “I miss the comradery and sense of community for sure. The military is a different world.”
Q: Why did you join the MS Management program? What do you enjoy the most in the MSM program?
Reneau: “I aspire to return as a commissioned officer for the last chapter of my military career and thought the MS Management program would add a great set of skills to enhance my professional development both for the military and beyond.”
Q: Tell us a cool fact about you.
Reneau: “Perhaps the coolest thing about me is my family. I met my wife, an Italian citizen, while stationed in Aviano, Italy. I never would have predicted it, but love is a wonderful thing.”
