When Sam Hickey walked into his first class at DU, he beelined to the back row. At 26, he was older than most of his classmates, a fact one fellow student made bluntly clear during introductions, saying, “You look old as hell.” Age aside, the real difference was experience, and Hickey had plenty. 

Attending DU on the GI Bill, Hickey brought more with him to college than a high school diploma: 13 weeks of grueling Marine Corps basic training in San Diego; specialized vehicle training at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri; and a 2011 deployment to Afghanistan, followed by assignments in Italy, Africa, and Norway with the 2nd Battalion, 8th Marines. Despite his impressive military resume, Hickey struggled to find his footing as a civilian, a challenge many returning service members share. 

“Nobody trains you to integrate back into real life, and that leaves room for veterans to feel lost,” says Hickey, who suddenly found himself alone. “It’s like losing a family when you exit the military. Those are your brothers and sisters.”  

After moving to Denver post-deployment in 2017 “on a whim and a prayer,” Hickey knew he wanted to be a student, but his first experiences at other colleges left him unimpressed. That changed when he walked into DU’s Office of Veterans and Military Resources and met director Damon Vine, who immediately asked a slew of questions and guided him through his benefits and opportunities. Vine also offered Hickey a work-study position, giving him room to take an active role in strengthening the student veteran community. Hickey then joined the Student Veterans Association and quickly found ways to bring fellow veterans together.

“There was such an opportunity for me to roll up my sleeves, start making new friends, and hopefully impact other veterans’ lives,” says Hickey.  

The first initiative he led was organizing The Murph Challenge on DU’s campus, a demanding workout on Memorial Day honoring Lt. Michael Murphy, a Navy SEAL killed in 2005 during Operation Red Wings in Afghanistan.  

“[The Murph] is a chance for everyone to come together and honor the fallen,” says Hickey. “I would be surprised if there’s a veteran today who has not lost somebody in some capacity, whether that’s to combat or suicide or health complications.”  

The grueling event is just the thing to guarantee turnout. “If you want veterans to show up, you either have to feed them, give them beer, or make them sweat,” Hickey says with a laugh. He organized the event in 2018, and it has continued annually ever since.

Even as Hickey built a community around him, he still felt out of place in class, keeping quiet to respect the opinions of others and avoid missteps. Some professors, however, recognized the value veterans bring and would draw out their perspectives for the benefit of all students. In a sociology class called Guns and Society, one professor recognized that Hickey had deployed a weapon in a context his peers hadn’t experienced and used that to push the class to think about the issue from multiple angles. “You were left to your own devices to come up with your own opinion, which I really appreciated,” recalls Hickey.   

These days, Hickey finds himself in places he never imagined he would be. He co-owns Rocky Mountain Flex Fitness with a fellow DU alum, Chris Lane (BA ’08, MLS ’12). A neighborhood fitness center, it’s “the kind of place where everybody knows your name,” says Hickey. He’s also vice president of the Marine Corps Memorial Foundation, which is working to expand the 1974 United States Marine Corps Memorial in Golden, Colorado. The expansion includes adding walkways that represent four aspects of being a Marine—service, valor, home, and reflection.

As if that’s not enough, Hickey is also pursuing an MBA at Santa Clara University while serving as program coordinator for DU’s Office of Veterans and Military Resources. He assists Vine in managing work-study programs and organizing events, including the annual Military Ball, the Hero Games, and networking activities with General George Casey (MA ’80). He also serves on the leadership board of the Veterans Leadership Network, supporting alumni engagement and veteran-focused initiatives.  

Hickey says the public often puts veterans into a box—something his own story challenges. Today, DU’s veteran community more strongly reflects the kind of support he once sought. With the backing of staff, faculty, and friends—and a drive to strengthen the community around him—he has turned his own experience into a mission to connect and empower others. 

“Just know that there are people out there on your team,” Hickey says, encouraging current and future veteran students to be curious, ask questions, and seek help. “I’m on your team.”