“It’s moving to me that our project will in some small way impact the future of veteran care. Isn’t that what we all want in life, to leave our corner of the world a little better than we found it?”

With over 20 years of service in the U.S. military and upper echelons of the federal government, Eric Hamlin, EMBA ’20, is well on his way to completing his latest mission—transitioning to a successful private sector career in business development.

The U.S. National Defense Strategy released this past October emphasizes a strong need to accelerate the Pentagon’s ability to deploy emerging and disruptive technologies vital to America’s military superiority over advanced competitors. At the Smith School, a unique mentorship is helping make this goal a reality.

The University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business has a proud legacy of educating and promoting U.S. military students and veterans in business. To further advance that legacy, Maryland Smith has established a new Military Veteran Fellows & Scholars Program for its next generation of full-time MBA candidates.

Octavia Davis couldn’t picture herself going to college right after high school. She hadn’t yet decided what she wanted to do with her life, with her career. Joining the military, she thought, would give her time to decide what she wanted, while giving her a rich, worldly experience.

Ryan Hogan ’13 loves a good mystery. So much so, in fact, that he has made them a career. But his success is no secret or enigma – it’s a product of years of trial and error. Hogan is co-founder and CEO of Hunt A Killer, an immersive entertainment company that creates games that challenge players to solve cases through interactive monthly subscription boxes and one-time experiences. He believes entrepreneurship is about failure and the ability to learn from each endeavor.