New GI Bill Spurs Veterans to Go to College

By Laurin Penland

Wilmington, NC – UNC Wilmington is gearing up for an influx of veterans. According to the new GI bill, veterans no longer have to pay for their education up front and they will receive a monthly stipend for expenses.

UNCW has a new initiative welcoming veterans and easing the transition. Allison Westphal is taking advantage of some of those programs. She worked on helicopters for the Marines and says she now wants to be a physical therapist.

"It's kind of hard to go from doing one thing twenty four hours a day seven days a week to doing something completely different," says Westphal. "It's kind of a difficult transition. But I'm enjoying the classes. I'm enjoying the people that I'm working with on group projects and things like that. I think everything is going to turn out really well."

Westphal says if it was not for this new GI Bill, she would probably be going to community college.

Officials in higher education say they're expecting a jump in the number of veterans attending college in the next few years.

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