Emmet Cullen and his sister, Rachel Howard. Photo courtesy of Rachel Howard
Service – to his country and to his community – is a top priority for Emmet Cullen. The UCSB grad student, who is pursuing his master’s degree in Education, enlisted in the Army at the age of 20. Cullen spent 5½ years in the military, more than 2 years of it in Iraq. As a sniper based in Mosul, he witnessed violence and death, but he also experienced kindness and generosity from strangers. Back at home after his military service, Cullen enrolled in college, and his current goals are to serve the community and to be a “positive influence” to students in the role of teacher. But leaving Iraq didn’t mean he could escape tragedy. In December 2011, while on what was to have been a fun adventure with a group of friends in the Mojave desert to celebrate Cullen’s milestone 30th birthday, two close friends, Chris Rice and Daniel Carbonaro, went missing after heading out on an ATV ride. A massive search ensued, and days later their bodies and the wreckage were discovered 400 feet below a cliff. Amid an emotionally trying time, Cullen has come out stronger and more determined than ever to pursue his education and his dreams. We spoke with this son, brother, Army veteran, student, cohort, friend and role model.
What degrees do you possess and what are you studying at UCSB?
I have an Associate’s degree in both History and Marine Diving Technology from Santa Barbara City College. I also have a B.A. in History from UCSB, and
Emmet Cullen, his girlfriend, Cristina Duran, and his chocolate Lab. Photo courtesy of Emmet Cullen I am currently working on my Teaching Credential/Master’s of Education at UCSB's Gevirtz Graduate School of Education.
Tell us about your background.
I was born and raised to the age of 12 on the outskirts of Fresno, Calif., and transplanted to Santa Barbara as a teenager. Ever since I was a young boy I loved to explore and spend my days on outdoor adventures.
I developed a love for swimming at a young age. Water has always drawn me near. I learned to play water polo leading into the 7th grade, and have continued to play through high school and college. I picked up surfing as soon as I moved to Santa Barbara.
On career day in high school instructors from Santa Barbara City College’s Marine Diving Technology program came to sell us on their program. Hearing about welding underwater, using underwater robots, and diving in the ocean for college credit, I was sold. At age 19, I was an official certified commercial diver, working offshore on oil rigs and traveling the California coastline doing odd jobs. The work was rewarding, adventurous, but dangerous. Conditions were often hazardous, requiring that I jump from the rig platform into 10-foot ocean swells, and often spend from 4 to 6 hours kicking against a constant ocean current.
Tell us a little bit about your time in the Army and the lessons you learned.
Feeling a calling after September 11, 2001, I joined the Army at age 20. I had no real idea of what it meant to be a soldier; I only knew that I wanted a change. I wanted to find out about myself, and to become a better person, and figured sacrificing a few years of my life for our country would be a good way to go about it.
I worked with the Iraqi Army, traveled the lands of Babylon from North to South, flew in helicopters and drove in armored Strykers. I chased insurgents, suffered from sickness and heat, and other times cold. I lost friends and came under fire. Most importantly, I got to interact with Iraqi families out on my sniper missions, and in very small groups. I was very fortunate to have the experience that I was able to have. Families would feed our team, and feed us with the little they had while we were out for days and nights on missions, entering people’s homes without asking. It was a shock to me to be offered such things after entering a home by force, but such is the Arab custom to safeguard any guest of your home.
I was in combat in Iraq. I had no idea of how experiencing a war would affect me. I learned to appreciate my friends and family. I made closer friends in combat than any other point in my life, and can honestly say that the experience made me a stronger person. In all I spent 27 months in Iraq, and 5½ years in the Army.
As a student today I am compelled by the urge to share my experience with others. I would like everyone to know that there isn’t a divide between people and culture, rather between politics and politicians. The person I am today has learned a lifetime of lessons in a short time, and I am trying to find the means to share and express these lessons in a meaningful way to my community.
How does being a veteran affect you as a student?
I think that anyone who works for a few years and comes back to school appreciates it in a different light. If anything I felt lucky to have experienced and see everything that I was able to. Many times I had visited historic sites, and was able to associate these experiences with my studies. That being said, I have at times felt as if my experiences in life are hard to relate to my peers. Especially becoming a teacher, 6 years in the Infantry is different than most of my friends’ backgrounds at the TEP program. For example, in a writing course this past summer we were focusing on poetry, and I felt odd because my writing consistently centered on combat.
What emotions did you experience after the deaths of your friends, Rice and Carbonaro, last year?
In my mind it felt like I was back in Iraq. I had lost many friends to combat, and seen more than anyone would wish, but this wasn't real. This wasn't Iraq, this was my birthday trip. Coming back to school at the start of Winter quarter was a challenge. My instructors, supervisors, and peers were incredibly supportive, and I feel really kept me in the program. A 30th birthday is kind of a milestone and time to reflect. I look at what I have gone through, and can't believe the journey. I am so fortunate to be where I am today. The only thing to do is to try to use negative experiences to influence your life in a positive way.
What motivates and inspires you?
My mother has always been a huge motivating factor to try and do well in life. She raised my sister [Rachel Howard, an author and writer] and I on her own, always making both of us feel that we could accomplish absolutely anything we wanted. My mom worked 12-hour night shifts for as long as I can remember, and still somehow found the time to drive my sister and I to practices and volunteer at school to work with high school mothers and as an art docent in grade school. Another thing that drives me is an urge to make something of my life. I’m not very interested in chasing money, and after experiencing firsthand a civil war, I can’t imagine a job more satisfying than building community as a teacher. Civil service isn’t glamorous by any stretch of the imagination, but it pays in friendship and karma in a way that I cannot fully express.
What do you consider your greatest accomplishments?
I feel that being admitted into UCSB was among the greatest accomplishments of my life. I always looked up to my sister for going off to UCSB, and making it on her own in the world, and getting into UCSB was a dream of mine that I can’t believe sometimes I am still getting to live. Just as with an undergraduate degree, graduating is simply a step in the right direction. Becoming truly accomplished in my eyes will be when I am old and gray and have mastered the art of teaching. I can’t say that that day will ever come, and if it does, I doubt I will recognize its passing.
How has receiving funding support helped you in your graduate education and in your life? What benefits did you derive from receiving such support?
Peace of mind. Being able to sleep at night without worrying about how I am going to pay next month’s rent. Funding has given me every opportunity in the world. When they say that you can do anything you put your mind to, funding is what makes dreams into reality. I would never in a million years have seen myself a graduate of UCSB, and working toward a master’s degree at that same university if it were not for the generosity that has been shown to me.
Any special projects you’d like to share?
We always have projects going on in the classroom. One of the projects my students are working on is an infomercial selling the Constitution to the original 13 colonies. It is incredible how much work goes into constructing a good, thorough lesson for the classroom. You want to do the kids justice, for having to spend weeks upon weeks of their young lives learning about the Boston Massacre, and about the Constitution, when all they really want to do is anything but.
What do you do for fun and relaxation?
As cliché as it is, I take my dog to the beach for fun. He’s a 4-year-old chocolate Lab and my buddy. When I get spare time I really like to get out and ride dirt bikes.
What would be your dream job after you attain your degree?
I would consider any teaching job a dream job after school.
Any final thoughts?
Graduate school, and especially the Teacher Education Program, have helped me become a person who I can respect and look up to, and I hold my head high when I say that I am a grad student at UCSB.
Editor’s Note: In a future GradPost article, we will talk with Cullen in depth about the loss of his good friends Daniel Carbonaro and Chris Rice, and how cohorts and others at UCSB have helped him get through a very tough time.
To read more about Cullen, here are some other published articles:
Feeling both pride and fear, a sister struggles to understand her brother's life in Iraq
Back from Iraq for a short stay, but a distance still separates them