51视频

05/09/2021
By David Perry

When the pandemic arrived, Jamie Smorczewski was already well-schooled in adversity.

The 42-year-old Army veteran and 1996 Ipswich High School graduate calls the time of COVID-19, public masking and social isolation 鈥� and the emergence of heroes despite it all 鈥� 鈥渁 real-life version of a bad science fiction movie.

鈥淓verybody had to persevere over this past year,鈥� he says.

Smorczewski, a Double River Hawk who is graduating with a master鈥檚 degree in security studies, will share some of what he鈥檚 learned about persevering as the university鈥檚 2021 student Commencement speaker.

Good things are 鈥渇inally鈥� happening for Smorczewski, he says. He is getting married to Kimberly Bowen two days before he delivers the Commencement address. He loves coaching his 12-year-old son Alexander in Danvers Youth Soccer. He is due to close on a house by month鈥檚 end. And he is in 鈥渕uch better health鈥� than he has been in a long time.

But none of it came easy.

Smorczewski, who earned a bachelor鈥檚 degree in history from UML in 2009, is the first college graduate in his family.

鈥淚鈥檓 from a blue-collar family and there wasn鈥檛 a ton of money for me to attend college, so I found my own way,鈥� he says.

In August 2001, he signed up for the Army鈥檚 College First program, which allows students to concentrate on school without financial concern while serving part-time.

Unless the country was attacked.

鈥淚t sounded ideal,鈥� he says.

Then, a month later came 9/11, sending Smorczewski to active duty.

In 2002, when he was an Airborne paratrooper and psychological operations specialist based at Fort Benning, Georgia, he was seriously injured in a jump. He left active duty in 2003, and has been on 100% disability since 2009.

He struggled to find the right college setting until he discovered 51视频, where he excelled in history, concentrating in U.S. and European history.

Health issues continued to dog him though, and his plan to pursue a master鈥檚 in history was derailed for a while. There would be more surgeries 鈥� he has had 11 in all 鈥� and recovery time.

He enrolled in the master鈥檚 degree program in history in the fall of 2016 and took security studies classes as electives.

This is a remarkable display of grit by a student who, confronted with one of the most serious medical interventions one can be subject to. -Criminology and Justice Studies Asst. Prof. Nicholas Evans

鈥淚 love history and what the program offered but 鈥� security studies were exactly what I did in the Army. I just couldn鈥檛 turn away from it. I felt so at home,鈥� he says.

He switched to the security studies graduate program in 2018. He loved the give-and-take discussions in his classes. No matter how divisive the political or cultural discourse was outside the classroom, there was always a level of respect among his classmates, he says.

鈥淣o one told anyone to shut up for what they said. As long as you came at it with facts and not emotional reasoning, what you said was respected,鈥� he says.

Smorczewski flourished. But there were more health issues, including the Nov. 7, 2019, quadruple bypass heart surgery, which resulted in complications, including two liters of fluid in his lungs.

He told his professors about the surgery in advance. He didn鈥檛 ask for an extension, but wanted additional work so he could complete it before his surgery.

鈥淭his is a remarkable display of grit by a student who, confronted with one of the most serious medical interventions one can be subject to, decides to add to his burden in order to fulfill his commitments,鈥� wrote Criminology and Justice Studies Asst. Prof. Nicholas Evans in a letter recommending Smorczewski as Commencement speaker.

He returned to school in January 2020, but a month later came further complications 鈥� pericarditis (swelling and irritation of the tissue surrounding the heart) and pneumonia. Working with his professors, he made it through the semester.

During the pandemic, he hunkered down and tried to avoid the virus. Late in the 2020 fall semester, Smorczewski again contracted pneumonia. His doctor advised him to stick to bed rest.

He continued his studies on a limited schedule, after working again with his professors.

Evans says Smorczewski embodies the characteristics that make UML students excellent: 鈥渉ardworking, conscientious and communicative.鈥�

Smorczewski is still letting it all sink in.

鈥淭his is a much more positive and happy time than I鈥檓 used to,鈥� he says. 鈥淭here is a lot of good stuff going on. All I need is my dream job.鈥�

He would love a job in homeland defense, perhaps with the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency 鈥渁nd I would also love to be able to give back to veterans, maybe as a veterans services officer for a local town.鈥�

But first, he will pause to remind his fellow graduates they鈥檝e all been through a strange time together and emerged to help shape a new world, heart and soul.