Before his time at Quinnipiac, Korman dedicated five years of his life to serving in the United States Marine Corps, where he reached the rank of Sergeant (E-5).

Korman's military service was marked by deployments to Camp Hansen and Camp Kinser in Okinawa, Japan, and subsequently to Camp Pendleton in California. During his time as a Marine, he held a primary Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) of 5811, a military police role.

“There are two sides to this position,” said Korman. “With the Law Enforcement Battalions, I participated in training different countries in law enforcement tactics. As a unit we went to the Philippines, South Korea and a bunch of islands in the Pacific. We trained them in crowd control, vehicle and personnel searches and entry control points. The second side of the job is what people typically think of when they hear military police, where I drove around in a patrol car and responded to emergency calls while on base.”

Korman's role also required facilitating information exchange in accidents involving American service members and Japanese civilians in Okinawa.

He held a secondary MOS of 5813 as a traffic accident investigator. During his final year at Camp Pendleton, he was committed to conducting in-depth investigations into traffic-related accidents.

“I’m really proud of the friends I made and the opportunities the military provided me," said Korman. "The military is responsible for making me the person I am today."

The choice to attend Quinnipiac was somewhat serendipitous. Originally interested in the pathologist assistant program, Korman missed the application deadline. Since he knew he wanted to pursue a master's degree, he applied for the molecular and cell biology program during his senior year of undergrad instead, leading him to where he is now.

At Quinnipiac, Korman has found a supportive community within the Student Veterans Organization, he said. Moving to Connecticut without knowing many people, he appreciated the support and understanding he received from fellow veterans who shared similar experiences and were also experiencing the transition from military to college life.

Aside from his academics, Korman is passionate about the gym at Quinnipiac. He enjoys balancing his schedule between workouts and work commitments, along with participating as a member of Quinnipiac's powerlifting team.

For other veterans considering higher education, Korman offers some advice.

“The first year can be challenging," Korman said. "Most people go from high school straight into college and you forget a lot of what you were taught in high school. Attend any sort of transition program like the Warrior-Scholar Project, it will give you an idea of what college will be like before you start. You have to branch out and interact with new people, so find something you like and connect with people with a shared interest.”