Two PNW students named 2025 Purdue Military Family Research Institute Focus Forward Fellows
Alyssa Gomezdelacasa
Two Purdue University Northwest (PNW) students who are veterans have earned the distinguished honor of serving as 2025 Focus Forward Fellows with Purdue West Lafayette’s Military Family Research Institute.
Students Alyssa Gomezdelacasa and Angelica Ortiz will participate in the year-long program starting July 2025. Opportunities include a four-day summer residency on Purdue West Lafayette’s campus, professional development and mentorship with women student veterans and active-duty service members, and access to faculty and corporate mentors focused on student veterans’ and service members’ success.
“What stood out to me about this opportunity is that I feel it is important to have both a personal and professional network, so finding other women who have served, being able to share relatable stories and understanding with each other, and learning about your strengths and weaknesses will definitely be helpful,” Gomezdelacasa said.
Angelica Ortiz
“It is sort of a niche being a serving woman military member and a college student, so I see this as an opportunity to learn from different leaders and peers like me who have balanced being in uniform and school and ultimately have a successful career,” said Ortiz.
The Military Family Research Institute conducts research and outreach for communities and professionals who serve military and veteran families, collaborating to help shape policies, programs and practices that improve their overall well-being. The institute’s Focus Forward Fellowship is a competitive national mentoring program for women student veterans to find connection, build career skills and focus on future success as students who have transitioned into civilian careers.
“I am very proud to see our student veterans Alyssa and Angelica representing Purdue University Northwest through this fellowship opportunity,” said Anthony Pilota, Veteran Services coordinator at PNW. “This is an excellent opportunity for both of them to engage with an important institutional resource with a mission to support veterans, service members and their families.”
This is an excellent opportunity for both of them to engage with an important institutional resource with a mission to support veterans, service members and their families.
Anthony Pilota, Veteran Services coordinator
Finding an academic home
Alyssa Gomezdelacasa
Gomezdelacasa, who is a Chicago native, is an active reserve member with the U.S. Navy and previously served two years stationed abroad in Djibouti.
When she returned home and sought an opportunity to pursue a four-year higher education degree, she found a supportive home at PNW as a Civil Engineering major in the School of Engineering.
“It is a challenging adjustment to shift your mental focus from the military or work to other responsibilities in civilian life, such as school,” Gomezdelacasa said. “I am also a little bit older, so finding a way to connect with a different generation of students who do not have the same life experience was kind of hard.”
On her first day as a PNW student, Gomezdelacasa visited PNW Veteran Services and quickly found a supportive environment for veterans like her.
“It was a breath of fresh air to meet and study with other students who are veterans,” she said. “I met Anthony Pilota, and that man works so much to take initiative, have active conversations with others and let other people know about resources.
“It is such a big thing to find a community that can relate to you, especially if you are coming off of active duty. The office is a place with many people you can feel comfortable around.”
Angelica Ortiz
Ortiz, who is from Valparaiso and double majoring in Criminal Justice and Sociology, had a similar experience in finding a home with PNW Veteran Services. She serves as a source intelligence analyst with the U.S. Army reserves and was previously stationed abroad for a year in Germany. She appreciates the flexibility she has found with the Veterans Services office and her instructors at PNW.
“I have received so much understanding and camaraderie from those in the Veteran Services office,” Ortiz said. “There is a great group of students who hang out there who have that understanding of strict structure and discipline, as well as balancing the challenges between military and civilian life. You are not alone in it. And Anthony Pilota has been so helpful with me so I can achieve my balance here and commit wholeheartedly to my responsibilities.”
Gomezdelacasa and Ortiz separately learned about the Focus Forward Fellowship and were quickly motivated to apply.
“I look forward to learning new skills that I will be able to tap into in the future as I pursue my career,” Gomezdelacasa said. “I feel really lucky that I found a campus and school that provides me with these different education opportunities.”