Marine Corps veteran says things got simpler when he started chasing his dreams
After almost eight years serving in the Marine Corps, Chris Cadeau, 31, never thought he would step foot in a college classroom.
Yet in May 2018, Cadeau graduated from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication with a degree in sports journalism.
Not only did he achieve this degree, he also managed to graduate with honors.
Chris Cadeau speaking at the Veterans Stole Ceremony in 2018
Cadeau gives credit to the Disability Resource Center and the Pat Tillman Veteran’s Center for his success.
“I wanted to explore what the DRC had available for me. They developed a plan for me that ensured success in the classroom,” Cadeau said.
The former fighter jet mechanic said that he was not the best student in high school.
“I had a 1.9 GPA when I graduated; school was not for me,” Cadeau said.
A back injury caused Cadeau to honorably leave the Marines. Transitioning from the military to college was “tumultuous.”
It was difficult to get back into a student mindset, especially after hitting some bumps in the road.
“It was tough to understand at first. In the Marines you are given a team. You get to pick your own team [in college],” Cadeau said.
Cadeau takes pride in the relationships he made in the veteran and sports journalism communities.
He was a part of the group of students who founded the Pat Tillman Veteran’s Center veteran outreach team. He was the media director.
“I wanted other veterans to understand this experience,” Cadeau said.
The PTVC was where Cadeau was encouraged to follow his dreams.
During his time at Cronkite, Cadeau created and hosted the Veteran Diaries, a radio show on ASU’s Blaze Radio that featured interviews with other ASU veterans and their stories.
Along with the radio show, he also was a play-by-play broadcaster for ASU sporting events like the popular Territorial Cup.
Cadeau’s hard work at ASU led him to his dream job. He is now a production assistant for Fox Sports Arizona and has Cronkite and ASU to thank.
“My job at Fox is because of my Cronkite professors. They have encouraged me in a way that words could never express,” Cadeau said.
After graduating from ASU in May 2018, Cadeau went after his master’s degree at Northwestern University. But that did not stop him from finding his way back to Arizona.
“I went after my dreams. When I started to follow my passion, everything became a lot simpler,” Cadeau said.