Being The New Kid

Being the new kid wasn’t new.  Growing up as a military kid, I got to make an entirely new group of friends and explore a brand new hometown every couple of years. Germany, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Texas, Florida; all of these were “home” at some point before I turned 18. While having to leave all of my friends every few years was never easy, this lifestyle exposed me to much more than the average American kid who grows up in the same city.

Once I began college, I realized my experience as a military kid set me apart from most of my peers. Certain attributes I had gained from this military upbringing started to become clear. Within the first few days of college, I had met hundreds of people. Years of being the new kid, or welcoming the new kid, paid off. Inclusivity became a theme for my life, which I attribute to my military roots.

After college, many of my childhood buddies followed the lead of their parents and started their own Air Force careers. Their motivation was to serve (and fly sweet planes.) As I move forward in my career, I have also felt the calling to serve. In 2012, I started the MBA program at the University of Texas at Austin. This attendance was enabled, in large part, because of the Post 9/11 G.I. Bill (Thanks Dad!)

As the highly competitive MBA internship season arrived, I considered what field of work I wanted to explore. I wanted to serve and had never lived overseas during my formative years. In a move that still confuses my parents; I headed to Kenya to work for 3 months. The experience was transformative. When people suggested I was crazy to take on this African quest, I pointed to my childhood as a military brat. When most people you know have lived abroad, the idea doesn’t seem so strange. Not only was I able to embark on an incredible adventure abroad, I also got to serve, albeit in a slightly different way.

Since starting the MBA, I have acted as a Board Fellow with The Comfort Crew for Military Kids. This allows me to contribute my skillset to help advance the efforts of CCMK while getting experience on an organization’s board. More so, the fellowship allows me to give back to the set of institutions that protects our freedom and helped define much of my childhood. Ultimately, I hope my work with The Comfort Crew can help more military children turn their adversities into advantages.

Kyle Schumacher

UT McCombs School of Business