Q&A with Michael Samano
Michael Samano, BA ’92 (sociology), is a Navy veteran who now works as a senior faculty member at Lane Community College, where he oversees the ethnic studies program and where he founded the Maxwell Student Veteran Center. Samano is also a member of the UO Veterans Alumni Network’s board.
Military branch
Navy
Years of service and rank
I served six years in the military and I was an E-4 (third class petty officer).
Awards and decorations
Multiple sea service ribbons. My Blue Nose certificate is more fun to look at because it indicates the time that my ship went up into the Arctic Circle.
How have your experiences and service affected your life?
My military service launched me on my college path as I had money to go to school. I was also taught a degree of self-discipline that worked well for me on my academic journey. My first graduate degree explored the transition from military service to civilian life. This scholarly work, along with my lived experience as a student veteran was the basis for my work as the founder of the Maxwell Student Veteran Center at Lane Community College where I now teach.
Were you involved with UO Army ROTC, the Student Veterans Center, Veterans and Family Student Association, or any other organizations on campus during your time as a UO student? If so, please describe your experience.
As a community college transfer student, I was not using veterans benefits to pay for school, so I didn't interact with the VA benefits officers on campus. And, no student veteran services existed when I was a student at UO.
What is your current career? How did your experiences as a veteran impact your career?
I am a senior faculty member at Lane Community College. I oversee the ethnic studies program. I have been in my career since 1996. The military taught me how to develop my time management skills, personal discipline, and find strategies to enable me to work collaboratively with others. Strangely enough, there are many parallels between the structures of higher education and the military.

