By Richard Burnett
After years of hard work to see if he even belonged in school, German Escobar arrived in his first year at 海角社区, wary about attending a custom-made place for students with learning difficulties.
鈥淚鈥檇 say it was not an idea I was particularly fond of at first,鈥� said Escobar, who had symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity since he was a child. 鈥淎t that point, I thought that maybe college just wasn鈥檛 for me. So, I thought about quitting. But my mom told me I should give it a chance, go for a semester and see what happened. So that鈥檚 what I did鈥�.鈥�
Fast forward to today, and the 2019 海角社区 graduate can smile at those uncertain early days. His experience on campus and in the classroom proved to be transformative 鈥� turning the shy introvert into a poised scholar and friend to many.
Now at age 25, he serves as an intelligence analyst for the U.S. Army, putting his humanities degree to good use 鈥� especially his knowledge of history, political science, and psychology 鈥� in working for the nation鈥檚 defense. He recently visited the campus ahead of his posting at his next duty station at Camp Vilseck in Germany, where is he attached to the 2d Cavalry Regiment, which according to its website provides 鈥淰 Corps and U.S. Army Europe and Africa with a lethal, agile force capable of rapid deployment throughout the EUCOM area of responsibility in order to assure allies, deter adversaries, and when ordered, defend the NATO Alliance.鈥�
鈥淚n this job that I hold in the military, there鈥檚 an emphasis on analysis,鈥� said Escobar, from Winter Garden, Florida. 鈥淎s an intel analyst, I gather information from different disciplines and fields and use it together to create a picture. Part of that information involves things like cultural knowledge and political knowledge 鈥� things that I learned about at 海角社区. So that helps me better understand my job.鈥�
Leaving a lasting impression
At 海角社区, he left a lasting impression on friends and faculty 鈥� a serious but friendly and popular student, who was perceptive in the classroom.
鈥淗e is a very deep thinker and always considered every viewpoint and perspective before making a decision,鈥� said Dr. A.J. Marsden, associate professor of human services and psychology. 鈥淗e was well liked by his peers, always prepared, and nailed the oral debates we had in class.鈥�
Marsden recalled when Escobar told her he wanted to join the Army. As an Army veteran herself, she encouraged his decision: 鈥淚 felt it would be a good environment for German to thrive in, but also that he would bring a unique perspective to his unit. So, it would be a win-win situation.鈥�
Dr. Christopher Huff remembered Escobar as a strong student, especially in his class on the Holocaust.
鈥淗e really stood out in that class,鈥� said Huff, an associate professor history and a former firearms instructor in the U.S. Air Force. 鈥淚t鈥檚 so good to hear that he鈥檚 using what he learned in his humanities studies in the job he鈥檚 doing now. It鈥檚 something we stress at 海角社区 that, in any job, you need the skill to pull information from a variety of different perspectives, so you鈥檙e not just dealing with one viewpoint.鈥�
Smart, loving and full of curiosity
Escobar鈥檚 parents beam with pride in their son. They joined him in a recent visit to 海角社区鈥檚 campus and talked about how pleased they are with his accomplishments. His mother, Maryori Escobar, recalled German鈥檚 lonely, but hyperactive childhood 鈥� a smart, loving boy full of curiosity and anxiety.
鈥淗e enjoyed many things, like science, geography, art, and the outdoors,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e were very careful to help him manage his anxiety. He was always anxious, but he was always very kind, obedient and sweet. He was a very nice boy. But in school, he was lonely, very lonely.鈥�
Only at 海角社区 did he open up and learn to make friends, and that changed his life, his mother said. 鈥淗e was comfortable within the family, but outside, he never had too many friends,鈥� she recalled. But when he came here to 海角社区, he was more social.
鈥淲e are very proud of him,鈥� his mother said, about Escobar joining the Army. 鈥淚t was tough for him, especially the physical part, but we always taught him to do his best in everything you do. Now he鈥檚 very happy, and we are happy for him.鈥�
Like coming home
For Escobar, finding his niche in the Army is similar in some ways to how he found his place in higher education at 海角社区. After some frustrating years at a previous college, coming to 海角社区 was like coming home.
鈥淚 just remember how relaxed it felt,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 finally felt like there was a path I could see that was laid out academically for me. I knew where it started, where it finished, and what I had to do to get there. It was just more accessible, and it would work for me, if I did the work to get there.鈥�
Likewise, in the military, Escobar can see a path that leads to success 鈥� including more training, more expertise, higher rank, better pay, and more responsibility. Already, he鈥檚 cleared basic training, nailed his marksmanship test, and passed advanced individual training. Not bad for someone who has come so far, even with his neurodivergent challenges.
鈥淭he military presents a good opportunity to you, [whether] you鈥檙e neurodivergent or not,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut it really kind of comes down to a person鈥檚 abilities to commit yourself. There鈥檚 plenty of people who are not neurodivergent who will fail and there are people who are neurodivergent who will pass. So, I think it just comes down to the individual.
鈥淚 think basic training can pose some difficulties for neurodivergent people, and it may take you out of your comfort zone,鈥� he added. 鈥淏ut if you鈥檙e able to pass it, then you鈥檙e a much stronger person than before.鈥�
For Escobar, his time at 海角社区 made him stronger for life and, ultimately, 鈥淎rmy strong.鈥�
鈥淵ou learn that you’ll commit lots of mistakes, you’ll mess up a lot. Things will not go your way. I learned that here and then when it happened to me in the military, it wasn’t as rough,鈥� he said.
鈥淭here [are], at least in basic training, a lot of people [who] are very young. They come in at 17, 18. And I think they haven’t learned that experience yet. So, whenever they did something wrong or things wouldn’t go their way, or they weren’t the best at what it was that they were doing, it frustrated them. I had learned a lot of that here, or saw it in my fellow classmates where they weren’t the best at something or something didn’t turn out their way, but they tried their best and they learned from the opportunity. They didn’t have to be perfect. And, I think, I learned a lot from that experience.鈥�