Gilberto Burbante uses the skills he learned in the military to help his fellow veterans transition into the role of students as smoothly as possible.
Burbante, coordinator of Veterans Services and government graduate from Morgan City, knew he wanted to join the military early in life. His decision to join the Marine Corps began when he was a little boy.
“In 1989, I had a cousin that was in the Marine Corps, and I was there for his welcome back party,” Burbante recalled. “I saw him in his blue uniform, and that image stuck with me. When I figured out what he was, I told myself I want to be a Marine.”
Burbante’s journey into the military began right after he graduated from Morgan City High School in 2002. Burbante left for the military in June 2002 and was stationed in Twentynine Palms, Calif., working in the infantry unit. Burbante’s first deployment came in 2003 in Bagdhad. He was a part of the unit known for pulling down the statue of Saddam Hussein. Burbante would go on to be deployed two more times during his active duty career with the Marines.
Once he got out of the Marines in 2006, he began his college career at Nicholls that August. Burbante remembers his transition from active-duty Marine to student as being a tough one.
“I’m out of the Marine Corps., I’m a student at the bottom of the totem pole again, a freshman, and I’m getting told to wear a certain colored shirt for orientation and sit with 18-year-olds who have no idea what I’ve gone though,” he said.
While Burbante was still a student at Nicholls, he joined the Army National Guard and eventually worked his way up in the ranks as a commissioned officer. As an officer, Burbante is trained in dealing with the needs of those in the military and can properly counsel them.
As the coordinator of Veteran Services, it is Burbante’s skills he obtained in the military to ensure all veterans making the transition to students have a pleasant process when it comes to making the best of this difficult situation in their lives. Burbante has been through what these veterans are going through currently and can better service these students because of the training he has received.
“There’s no on-or-off switch, but you have to make one in order to be successful. Thankfully, we have this group now where I can be effective in helping veterans like myself that were in a situation like I was, and I see a lot of myself in these vets and I try to help them out.”
When making the decision of whether or not to join the military, Burbante encourages those people to do the proper research and know exactly why they want to join.
“If you are trying to be rich and make money, the military is not for you,” he suggested. “If you are trying to better yourself and fight for a reason, then definitely join the military.”
Nicholls was recently named a military-friendly school by G.I. Jobs Magazine and currently has 186 veterans enrolled at the University. Burbante credits his fellow veterans for this honor.
“I’m not alone with helping veterans,” Burbante said. “Veterans help each other, and that award is not because of what I do. It’s because of what they are willing to do and what they are willing to let me help them with.”