Honoring a Family Tradition of Service

Each year, LMU celebrates and honors those in our community who have sacrificed and served our country through military service. Hayden Schneider ’19 got a full-time job in Los Angeles and transferred to LMU in 2018 from the University of San Diego to pursue a degree in entrepreneurship. He also serves as the president of the LMU Student Veterans Organization on campus, a registered student organization dedicated to serving those who have served by providing a group where veterans, reservists and even family members and supporters of the military to create an environment filled with camaraderie and good humor.

Hayden Schneider ’19
Fullerton, CA
Major: Entrepreneurship

Hayden e1573514857204 256x300 - Honoring a Family Tradition of ServiceInspired by a family history of military service, Schneider grew up listening to stories told by his grandfathers, and curiously playing with their old equipment would later inspire his own service. “Both of my grandfathers influenced me to join, both of whom served in WWII,” said Schneider. “When I was growing up, I would always play soldiers with their old equipment. We have also traced our family history back we can see that someone in our family has fought in every war since the American Revolutionary War.” Both of his grandfathers served in the U.S. Marine Corps and Navy in World War II, Korea and China and on a submarine in the Pacific.

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Before enlisting, Hayden worked as a wildland firefighter as part of the hand crew in various cities in California before joining the U.S. Army in 2012. Given his grandfathers’ branch, Hayden was intent on joining the U.S. Navy to serve as a Corpsman with the Marines. However, upon learning that there was a possibility that he would end up on a ship in the middle of the ocean, he walked to the Army recruiting station and enlisted as a medic. 

One of Schneider’s favorite memories during his service was going through air assault courses. “I had to meet certain criteria to qualify for the air assault courses and ended up in the top of the list,” said Schneider. “They teach you how to rappel out of a helicopter from 150 feet in the air, do sling loads and attach things to the bottom a helicopter, like a humvee. It was my favorite part of my service, but the hardest 12 days of my life out there.”

Hayden was a senior line medic and oversaw other medics, providing medical care for those in his unit. After completing his four-year contract, he decided to stay in Austin, Texas. He began community college until he was accepted to the University of San Diego, which brought him back to California. For Schneider, the entrepreneurship program has offered many opportunities to expand his knowledge and view on what success looks like in different businesses. “One of my biggest takeaways from the entrepreneurship program is listening to the speakers that have come in and being able to learn from each of their mistakes and successes,” Schneider. “One of my favorites was Rob Angel, the creator of Pictionary, who talked about creating the game, and it was exciting to see what his journey looked like.”

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Schneider also sought inspiration from his professors in the LMU College of Business Administration, who have had the most impact on him. “Some of the professors who have helped me the most are Professor Jason D’Mello and Professor Kmetty,” said Schneider. “Professor D’Mello helped open up my mind to really see the world of entrepreneurship and what it means to be an entrepreneur. Professor Kmetty has been meeting with me to help me build my resume and look for job opportunities when I graduate. He also helped host a day for the Student Veterans Organization to come in for office hours and get help with resumes last semester.”

As the president of the Student Veterans Organization, Schneider hopes to expand the network to other local colleges and universities to unite veterans in Southern California. “I want us not to be limited to the campus community here at LMU, but to work with other institutions programs for veterans to collaborate and create larger events,” said Schneider. “We should all be working together to create and utilize resources to keep veterans in college.”

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Unknown 7 e1573515182328 139x300 - Honoring a Family Tradition of ServiceSchneider has been working as a brewer for some local breweries and, most recently, for Golden Road Brewing in Los Angeles. “I got into brewing when I turned 21 and asked my dad if he wanted to brew together,” said Schneider. “My dad was a chemistry major and loved beer, so we were able to brew together. My passion for brewing continued through my service as I went to different sergeants’ houses and would teach them to brew. I also released a beer when I worked at Golden Road called Iron Wolf, which was a black IPA, to help raise money for veterans to help them get out of homelessness.”

Learn more about LMU’s Veteran Programs.