Conor St. John spent seven years fixing helicopters and mentoring fellow Marines — now he's helping build a NASA rover. The Citrus College graduate and veteran, who found his footing through the campus's Veterans Success Center and STEM program, is headed to UC Riverside this fall to pursue his goal of becoming an electrical engineer.

"As a sergeant, I really enjoyed being able to teach Marines and help guide them," he said. "Almost every Marine under my command was going to college on their own time, and I am a big advocate for higher education."

This passion for higher education led Conor to become a Citrus College student when his military service ended. "I first enrolled in the winter of 2022 and decided to come to Citrus College because it was close to where I was living at the time," he said. "I ended up hearing about the Veterans Success Center from another student veteran. I wish I would have connected with the center and found my community early on, because it has been very helpful."

In addition to the Veterans Success Center, Conor took advantage of all the opportunities available in the Citrus College STEM program. In fact, he helped build a NASA rover as part of an independent research study involving a group of physics students.

This fall, Conor is continuing his scientific studies at UC Riverside. His ultimate goal is to become an electrical engineer.

Now that he is one step closer to reaching his goal, Conor has advice for those who may be beginning their own academic pursuits: "Don't give up. Keep working hard and use the resources that are there for you. If you don't discover them right away, then go and find them."