The Darden College of Education and Professional Studies at Old Dominion University is proud to recognize those students who helped serve our country by highlighting several current Monarchs. As the No. 1 Military Friendly University in Virginia, the college offers a variety of academic programs to all military personnel who have served or are serving in the military.
Steven Brassington
Department of STEM Education & Professional Studies
M.S. Instructional Design and Technology
Brassington works as an Instructional Designer at the United States Coast Guard Training Center in Yorktown, VA. He completed 21 years of service with the United States Navy as a Cryptologic Technician Collection. He is the father of two adult sons one of whom, Andrew, is a junior in the English department at Old Dominion University. He enjoys spending his free time being on the computer, traveling, and spending time with family and friends. Brassington is a graduate of the University of Maryland with a bachelor's degree in History and is currently a Graduate student in the Instructional Design and Technology Studies Program in the Darden College of Education at Old Dominion University. He is grateful for the opportunity to use his education and professional knowledge gained to enrich the courses that he develops for current members of the United States Coast Guard as a certified Navy Master Training Specialist.
Britney Hodge
Department of Teaching & Learning
M.S.Ed Secondary Education & Initial Licensure
Hodge is a veteran of the United States Navy, serving from 2010 to 2016 on active duty. During her first mission, she was on board the USS Mount Whitney LCC20, the Sixth Fleet flagship, in Gaeta, Italy. Her second duty station was Naval Support Activity Naples in Naples, Italy. She is currently a military spouse and pursuing a graduate degree in the Military Career Transition Program (MCTP). MCPT is designed to prepare military personnel and spouses who have earned a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited Institution and want to become licensed teachers. By May 2019, she will have successfully completed the Master of Science in Education, Secondary Education, and Initial Licensure program. Hodge is looking forward to teaching high school Biology in San Diego, CA following graduation and eventually, teaching in her home state of New York. In her free time, she enjoys weight training, traveling, and spending quality time with her husband and four-year-old son.
Doug Stanley
Department of STEM Education & Professional Studies
M.S. Occupational and Technical Studies
Stanley is a Senior in the Occupational and Technical Studies Program, with a concentration in Industrial Technology. He served in the United States Navy from 1986 to 2007, beginning his career as a Gas Turbine Mechanic and plans to retire as a Limited Duty Officer. Over his career, he served on several guided missile Frigates and Aircraft Carriers. Doug currently resides in Chesapeake, VA with his wife and children. His hobbies include spending quality time with his family, camping, and meeting new friends.
Victor A. Lugo
Department of Communication Disorders and Special Education
M.S. Speech-Language Pathology
Lugo is a first-year graduate student in the Speech-Language Pathology program. He served in the United States Air Force as an Operations Intelligence Analyst from 2013 to 2017. For three-and-a-half years, he was stationed at Royal Air Force Base Mildenhall in the United Kingdom. His tasks included providing all-source intelligence products and briefings on terrorist capabilities, tactics, trends, and courses of action to commanders and their officers in the U.S., Africa, and European Command theaters.
Lugo is currently the president of the National Student Speech Language Hearing Association (NSSLHA) chapter at Old Dominion University and serves as the Speech-Language Pathology Student State Officer for Virginia. In addition, Lugo currently works as a Virginia Work-Study Research Assistant in the Department of Communication Disorders and Special Education. After graduation, Victor intends to earn his Certificate of Clinical Competence as a Speech-Language Pathologist and pursue a Ph.D. in Educational and Public Policy.
Andrew Frazier
Department of Counseling and Human Services
Human Services Major
Andrew Frazier is a sophomore in the Human Services program and expects to graduate in 2020. Frazier served as a military police officer for the 88th Military Police Company in Fort Eustis, VA. After Frazier completed his military training in Fort Leonard Woods, MO he decided to dedicate his life to helping others during his time in the military and afterward. Frazier worked as a Correctional Officer for the Commonwealth of Virginia and transferred to the Richmond Police Department and he quickly realized that I wanted to dedicate his life to help at-risk children.
During his time away from the military, Frazier created his own nonprofit organization that helps at-risk teens and helps transform them into classroom leaders by telling his story and learning about different communities through hosting panels, fellowships, and cohorts. Frazier's work has led him to multiple states including New Mexico, Texas, and Maryland. Frazier also has a big presence on campus as an assistant in the Office of Leadership and & Student Involvement, a member of SEES Leadership Council, and the Student Veteran Association President at Old Dominion University.
Chris Parker
Department of Human Movement Sciences
Exercise Science Major
Chris Parker is a senior in the Exercise Science program and expects to graduate in December 2018. Parker served in the US Army's vaunted 82nd Airborne Division from 2006 to 2013 and was deployed twice to Iraq and once to Afghanistan, spending nearly three and a half years in these combat theaters.
Early in his first deployment, the vehicle Parker was riding in struck an IED and received shrapnel wounds and a severe concussion. That concussion impacted Parker's ability to read and has had lingering effects on his concentration and memory that he must overcome as a student. Of the combat missions he performed, the most notable was in the Hindu Kush mountains of Afghanistan, where he was a member of a team that hunted and successfully eliminated a Taliban leader known as the Arctic Fox. That military campaign was the subject of an episode of a DirecTV show, "The Fighting Season." For his participation in those missions he was awarded the Purple Heart, Bronze Star, Combat Infantryman's Badge, and his Parachutist's Wings.
Parker is a big, athletic man, and he puts that size to good use in strong man competitions, including the Highland Games, Thick Bar lifting, MAS wrestling (stick wrestling), and he also enjoys backpacking. As a backpacker, Parker has completed the Virginia section of the Appalachian Trail which is 550 miles in length. After graduation he is considering obtaining his master's degree. His long-term goal is to work as a conditioning and rehabilitation specialist with veterans.
Debra McDuffie
Department of Human Movement Sciences
M.S. Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Studies
Debra McDuffie is a graduate student in the Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Studies master's program. After completing 20 years of service with the United States Navy, she now works in the Portsmouth Museums Department as an Admin Coordinator II.
McDuffie enjoys spending her free time serving at her church, traveling, and spending time with friends and family including her son, Kenneth Trey. McDuffie earner her undergraduate degree in recreation and tourism studies in 2012 and holds a Certified Park and Recreation Professional (CPRP) certification. She is also a member of the Virginia Recreation and Park Society. McDuffie stated she is grateful for the opportunity to use her education and professional knowledge gained to enrich the services she provides at multiple worksites and offices throughout her department.