UNIVERSITY PARTNERSHIP STUDENT
A NEW RECR Edward Catanese thought his lifetime career was in the Army but unexpected turns led him to LCCC’s University Partnership
Edward Catanese’s life has taken a lot of unexpected turns. After graduating from Brookside High School in Sheffield Village in 2007, Catanese thought he’d be off to a fouryear university to play football. He was a champion powerlifter and captain of the football team, and graduated in the top 10 percent of his class. But Catanese didn’t get into any of the colleges he hoped to attend. “I wasn’t sure what to do with my life,” he says. That uncertainty led Catanese to somewhere he never expected and didn’t want to be – surrounded by so-called friends making poor choices.
EDWARD CATANESE
So Catanese made a change. He left his hometown and joined the Army in May 2008 as a 19K – an armor crewman on a battle tank. He served for nearly 10 years, was deployed to eight countries, took leadership courses, graduated from Ranger School, and earned the rank of Staff Sergeant.
“I can earn my bachelor’s degree on the LCCC campus, close to my home and my three children.”
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Lo rai n Co u n t y Co m m u n i t y Colleg e
Catanese says military life was challenging and rewarding. He planned to make training new recruits in the Army his lifetime career. Then life threw another unexpected twist his way.
