Thursday, July 17, 2025

Caltech Hosts Summer STEM Boot Camp for Student Veterans

Students who are veterans of enlisted military service will participate in an intensive STEM academic boot camp at Caltech from July 19 to 26, part of a national initiative to prepare former service members for success in higher education. The program, hosted in partnership with the nonprofit Warrior-Scholar Project, will offer a weeklong immersive college experience simulating the rigors of finals week through 75 hours of academic instruction.

Veterans will engage with Caltech faculty, research leads, and mentors while exploring campus resources, fostering a deeper familiarity with the academic environment. Designed to ease the transition from military service to civilian life, the boot camp also emphasizes identity formation and personal growth.

“The lab tours were invaluable and inspired me to want to learn and become a researcher in science,” said Navy veteran and program alumnus Warren Knowles. “I met many graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and professors who made me excited about science through their genuine love of it.”

The Warrior-Scholar Project reports that 88% of its alumni have completed or are on track to earn a college degree—well above the national average of 54% for veterans using the Post-9/11 GI Bill and 61% for full-time civilian students.

Now in its sixth year of collaboration with Caltech, the Warrior-Scholar Project provides all programming at no cost to participants, supported by donations from foundations, corporations and individuals.

Since 2011, more than 2,500 veterans have completed WSP’s boot camps, which are hosted nationwide. The organization also offers programming for underrepresented veterans, graduate school preparation and career exploration. The Department of Veterans Affairs works with WSP to expand access to its free services.

More information is available at www.warrior-scholar.org.