Meet the Veteran Liaisons

Lucas Hopkins joined the United States Marine Corps from Wilmington, Delaware in June 2013. During five-and-a-half years of service, Lucas was primarily stationed with II Marine Expeditionary Force Headquarters Group and Headquarters Battalion, 2nd Marine Division at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. His role as a combat correspondent allowed him to document and publish multimedia content on Marine Corps training and operations in the United States, Europe, African and the Middle East. Lucas left active duty in January 2019, and is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in marketing at DePaul University. Any questions for Lucas can be sent to lhopkin6@depaul.edu.

Vaughn Cooper joined the Marine Corps in 2015. After training in California, he served at Cherry Point in North Carolina as a radio maintainer in 2nd Low Altitude Air Defense Battalion. His enlistment ended with an Honorable Discharge in April 2019 after four years of service. Vaughn enrolled in DePaul in June of the same year as an Accounting major. He is eager to assist fellow veterans in their transition to college and aid in future success. Vaughn can be reached by email at vcooper4@depaul.edu.

Joel Gonzalez joined the United States Marine Corps from Chicago, Illinois in August of 2011. During his first four years, Joel worked at Second Maintenance Battalion, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. As the efforts to close American bases in war zones increased, Joel was sent to work with R4OG at Helmed Province, Afghanistan. On his next enlistment, Joel was chosen to work at United States Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM) as an Administrative Liaison. During his time at USTRANSCOM, he was recognized with various awards including the Navy League Award of Excellence for the year 2015. Joel is now a student at DePaul University pursing a degree in Business Administration, with an expected graduation of Winter 2021. If you have any questions for Joel, feel free to contact him at jonz230@depaul.edu.

Liam Turman served four years in the United States Army as an All-Source Intelligence Analyst supporting United States Army Intelligence and Security Command requirements during the Global War on Terror. After leaving active duty, Liam returned to his home state of Ohio to attend Miami University before transferring in 2020 to DePaul University where he studies Communications and Media. If you have any questions for Liam, feel free to contact him at lturman2@depaul.edu.