Marine Corps veteran graduates with honors in Machine Tool

Brandon Jennum served in the U.S. Marine Corps for six years and traveled around the world while serving his country. To help with the transition to civilian life, he enrolled at Hennepin Tech in the Machine Tool Technology program and launched a new career. Jennum spoke about his journey on graduation day.

Hennepin Tech: Thank you for your service and congratulations on graduating with honors with a perfect grade point average. Please tell us about your time in the Marines.

Jennum: I was a radio operator. I worked in several countries including Iraq, Dubai, Djibouti, Japan, Kenya, and Singapore.

Hennepin Tech: Veterans often say that their time in the service provided them with skills that help them in their academic career. Teamwork and time management are two examples. What skill helped you most?

Jennum: Using the metric system. In Machine Tool, you got to convert metric to standard a lot of the time for blueprint reading. And I was used to doing this because everything in the military is metric for maps. So I just knew how to break it down from there.

Hennepin Tech: Many graduates began working in their field prior to graduation day thanks to Hennepin Tech faculty who connect their students with employers. That describes you too, correct?

Jennum: Absolutely. A large employer. Graco, visited campus and was actively recruiting. And I just talked to the recruiters. I told them, “Hey, sure. I want to do it.”

Hennepin Tech: Juggling your work hours and college classes is a challenge. How did you handle it?

Jennum: I’m tired right now! I worked last night. I worked last night then I got home and quickly changed and came here to the event. I was like -- alright, let's do this because I need to focus on staying awake for a big day.

Hennepin Tech: What did you enjoy about Hennepin Tech?

Jennum: I liked that the teachers really approachable and the classes were really enjoyable.

Hennepin Tech:  It’s surprising that many veterans don’t take advantage of an incredible benefit that they earned – the GI Bill, which pays their college tuition. What advice would you give other vets about this?

Jennum: Go to school. Use the GI Bill. If you don't know you want then just get your General Education credits done so then during that time you can figure out what you want. Talk to other veterans. Always talk to other veterans because they might have some insight that you don't know.