Student Spotlight: Veteran Tucker Goldman Returns to School After Five Years of Service

Tucker Goldman travelled all around the world during his five years of service in the U.S. Air Force. Now, he is settling into life as a computer science major in the Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences (ICS). Learn here about his time in the service and future plans.

Can you tell us a bit about your service?
I joined the Air Force when I was 18. Back then, I was pretty tired of school and wanted to make some money and leave my home town of Victorville, California, so the Air Force seemed like a cool option at the time. I joined with an open contract, which meant they would pick the job they gave me, and I ended up working with logistics in warehouses. I generally had a good time in the service. I was in for almost five years and got to travel around the world to Korea, Qatar, Japan, Germany and then Alaska. Once my five years were up, I was ready to go back to a more stable life and use my veteran benefits to return to school.

Goldman is standing with his mom on his left and dad on his right. — *Tucker Goldman with his parents at his graduation from Basic Training in San Antonio, Texas*.

What brought you to UCI?
I was interested in UCI due to its phenomenal computer science program and department. I am only in my first quarter here after transferring from Citrus College in Glendora. However, I have been very impressed so far in my short time here. I had also visited the campus prior to accepting and was amazed by how huge and beautiful the campus is. I think we have a really good League of Legends team too [through UCI Esports], which is cool.

What are your future plans?
I am hoping to graduate in two years and work in software development after UCI. I am not really sure beyond that. I really like the Irvine/Costa Mesa area, so I think I would like to stay here. Last week, I rode my bike to the beach, which only took about 20 minutes. This is a pretty cool place to be.

How do you usually spend your Veterans Day?
I usually don’t do anything special, although on Veterans Day, a lot of restaurants offer free meals to veterans, so sometimes I go and scoop one of those up!

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has a list of restaurants offering free meals on Veterans Day. Also, throughout the year, be sure to visit UCI’s Veteran Services Center (VSC), which assists military-connected students in navigating student life at UCI.

— Shani Murray