Student Veteran of the Year Ehsan Jamshidi’s Road to Success Began as a Child Refugee from Afghanistan

A childhood refugee from Afghanistan who rose through the U.S. Marine Corps to the rank of gunnery sergeant, Ehsan Jamshidi served around the world while maintaining a 4.0 grade point average as a student at University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC). When the U.S. withdrew from Afghanistan in 2021, Jamshidi helped process the evacuations of thousands of refugees like him amid the country's fall to the Taliban.

For that outstanding service and scholarship, Jamshidi was recognized at UMGC's Veterans Day Ceremony on Nov. 11 with the General John W. Vessey, Jr. Student Veteran of the Year Award. The honor carries the name of a UMGC graduate who worked his way up from the enlisted ranks to become the 10th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Ehsan is the eighth veteran to receive the award.

The Veterans Day Ceremony featured remarks from Jamshidi as well as from keynote speaker James D. Rodriguez, assistant secretary for the Veterans' Employment and Training Service at the U.S Department of Labor. Rodriguez served 21 years in the U.S. Marine Corps and is a UMGC alumnus.