Sometimes one conversation can shape the rest of your life. Maybe it’s a heart-to-heart with a teacher, a parent, or a lifelong friend. For Nick DiFulvio, it was a U.S. Air Force Recruiter. The 2004 Maine-Endwell alum remembers spending time during his junior year exploring alternatives to college when he felt a calling to serve his country.
“The Air Force recruiters were good at their job, and I felt it presented me the best opportunity to explore the world, earn an education and figure out life a bit more,” said DiFulvio.
With the mission now clear, following graduation, DiFulvio would set out for basic training in Texas. It was there, early on, where he says he was “retrained on how to think, feel and act in order to prepare for military life.” After basic training, the M-E alum was assigned to an airbase in Germany for two years. Following his time overseas, he was sent to Washington state, where he spent most of his time on deployment to the Middle East.
“I experienced new cultures, friends, foods, drinks, all kinds of entertainment and every emotion you could think of within those four years,” said DiFulvio. He went on to say “Those experiences created many memories I still reflect on; from visiting Oktoberfest in Germany, living in tents in Baghdad and barrack life with friends. The list of memories could fill a book but in general, they're about travel, friends and cultural exploration.”
Early on in his service, DiFulvio gained an incredible amount knowledge, both about the military, and life in general. He says the most important thing he took away was “the awareness and acceptance of how big and diverse the world is.” Looking back, he credits his time at Maine-Endwell for preparing him with the understanding and connection between responsibility and outcomes.
“In hindsight, there are similar characteristics between one's path in high-school and life. For example, you find enjoyment through experiences, while at the same time taking responsibility for things you could care less about. You meet a lot of people along the way and come face to face with various emotions that serve as a forcing function to learn. You are in charge of the decisions made, and as a result, you're rewarded or penalized. In a way, my time at M-E set the foundation of my experiences laid out above,” said DiFulvio.
Following his years of service, DiFulvio’s time overseas wasn’t quite over with. The ’04 grad ended up doing two more years as a government contractor with the Army, where he’d spend the whole time in the Middle East. And while higher education wasn’t at the forefront during high school, he was presented with a whole new opportunity after his time in the military. DiFulvio eventually found himself at the University of Washington, which lead to a job in management consulting, where he’d also gain a love for industrial engineering.
“It started with interests in math and science, specifically physics. As I took more advanced courses, it led to the idea of engineering. I was interested in Mechanical, Aerospace and Industrial. What led me to choose industrial is my separate interest in business. I found Industrial Engineering a good blend of engineering and business principles,” said DiFulvio.
Today, this Air Force Veteran works in Business Strategy and Operations for a private and public markets data and research provider.
We thank Nick, and all of our Spartan Veterans for their service.