U.S. Army Combat Medic Named UMGC Student Veteran of the Year

Adelphi, Md. - Nov. 11, 2025 - Staff Sergeant Shaun Paris, a U.S. Army combat medic and a University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC) student with a 4.0 grade point average, was recognized as the General John W. Vessey Jr. Student Veteran of the Year at UMGC's Veterans Day Ceremony on Nov. 11.

Paris is the ninth recipient and the first U.S. Army member to receive the award, which recognizes student veterans who have excelled in their academic and military careers and includes a $3,000 refundable scholarship.

Paris, born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky, enlisted in 2017 as a combat medic and served in a variety of leadership positions with the 173rd Airborne Infantry Brigade in Vicenza, Italy.

He was so intent on a military career that he worked for a year to get a medical waiver so that he could be declared fit for service despite a rare eye condition.

Today, he serves in the Army Medic Specialist Training Course in Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas, while studying full time, pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Health Services.

In accepting the award, Paris discussed what he characterized as "two enduring truths."

"Service is proven through adversity, when our character is tested, and our commitment is revealed."

He added that "adversity is not confined to the battlefield" and pointed to pressing needs related to healthcare, education, mental health, and compassionate leadership, going on to discuss how true service is not only found in moments of crisis, but in the daily responsibility to "improve our foxhole" and leave this world better than we found it.

"Improving the foxhole," he explained, is a military term that means "making your position stronger, safer, and better prepared for those who will follow" and serves as an expression of "responsibility, foresight, diligence, and care for others."

Education is not a pause in service, he said. "It is a continuation of it."

"Continuing education is one of the most powerful ways we can serve our nation," he said. "It allows us to gain the knowledge, skills, and perspective needed to solve complex problems and to lead in times of uncertainty.

"I am not in the classroom to learn for myself alone. I am in the classroom preparing to build something better for others and those who will come after me."

Paris' deployments have taken him from Somalia, in support of the U.S. withdrawal, to Niger during Operation Barkhane, as well as to multiple NATO missions throughout Europe.

As a qualified Jumpmaster, he was responsible for the safe exit and landing of more than five thousand paratroopers.

He also developed and implemented a battlefield casualty care training program that was subsequently adopted by the Cypriot National Guard. Because he had studied Italian, he was able to create hospital site surveys in English and Italian to enhance medical care in that region.

The Student Veteran of the Year award is named for distinguished UMGC alumnus Gen. John W. Vessey Jr., the 10th chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the only one to begin his military career as an enlisted servicemember.

About University of Maryland Global Campus

University of Maryland Global Campus was founded more than 75 years ago specifically to serve the higher education needs of working adults and military service members. Today, UMGC is the largest provider of postsecondary education in Maryland. It continues its global tradition with online and hybrid courses, more than 175 classroom and service locations worldwide and more than 135 degrees and certificates backed by the reputation of a state university and the University System of Maryland. For more information, visit https://www.umgc.edu.