Student Veteran Pursues Lifelong Dream in Medicine

Students in military uniform raise the American flag as part of the annual Veterans Day ceremony

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Georgetown University is home to over 1,200 military-connected students, including service members, veterans and military families. In honor of Veterans Day, we introduce you to a veteran turned student whose military service created a foundation for his career in the medical field.

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Retired Navy Lt. Matthew Hankins (M’27)
Retired Navy Lt. Matthew Hankins (M’27)

(November 8, 2024) — Retired Navy Lt. Matthew Hankins (M’27) grew up in an Army family, but decided to break ranks and join the Navy. After completing his undergraduate degree in biology, Hankins received his commission as a cryptologic warfare officer (CWO) and headed to his duty station at Navy Information Operations Command (NIOC) in San Antonio, Texas.

“I always wanted to serve my country and decided that while I was young, I would seek out adventure and join the Navy,” said Hankins.

As a CWO, Hankins provided expertise in signals intelligence, information operations and cyber operations for the Navy. “Cryptologists are known to be nerds,” Hankins said. “Most of us have computer science backgrounds and have a reputation as being intelligent.”

During his four years in the Navy, Hankins deployed with the USS Gridley and the USS Wasp. While underway on the Wasp, Hankins had port calls in Barbados, Peru, Brazil and Panama.

“The South American tour was a great experience,” Hankins said. “I was able to cruise through the Panama Canal and sail around the tip of South America, where you can see mountains on both sides of the ship as you traverse. It was beautiful.”

In between his 12-hour watch shifts, Hankins studied for the MCAT and planned for his future career in medicine.

“Medicine was always a dream for me,” said Hankins, who became interested in the field as a child after giving his sister insulin shots for her Type 1 diabetes. While researching medical schools, Georgetown stood out because of its commitment to Jesuit values and connection to the military.

“The Jesuit ideology of an empathetic approach to life and service to others really connected with me,” said Hankins. “It was also clear that Georgetown values military service in the number of officer physicians that graduate from the School of Medicine and the number of veterans in each class.”

Now in his second year of medical school, Hankins laments the loss of camaraderie he felt in the Navy, but is grateful for his service experience. “As a recent college graduate, the military helped me develop leadership skills and be more mentally resilient by always focusing on the positives in life, even when things are difficult,” said Hankins. “I think that leadership experience will help when I start my residency as a physician by knowing that showing up and having a positive attitude is half the battle in any work environment.”

Heather Wilpone-Welborn
GUMC Communications

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