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For graduate, CSUB was ‘best decision I’ve made’

Veteran Julie Esty earns dual bachelor's degrees in psychology, criminal justice

By California State University, Bakersfield

June 12^th, 2025

Julie Esty was terrified of going to college.

As she was getting ready to graduate high school, Esty — a New Jersey native — had no idea what to do next. It was difficult for her to focus on her future when she was struggling at the time with her mental health and a difficult home life.

“Growing up, I was often told I would never amount to anything. People were always putting me down,” she said. “A lot of the people I hung out with at the time were ending up in jail, so it felt like my choices were either scary college or end up in jail. I ran away from all of it and joined the military. For me, that was the easy path. I was that scared of college.”

Esty joined the U.S. Army in 2010 at age 17 and served for seven years, after which she returned to civilian life in New Jersey. Seeking a fresh start, Esty decided to leave her home state and move to California. She chose to live in Bakersfield because of its affordability.

After spending a few years working at various part-time jobs, Esty realized she wasn’t fulfilling her potential and needed to make a change.

“I got upset one night that I was going nowhere in life, that I needed to do something,” she said.

Esty decided it was finally the right time for her to give college a shot and looked into attending California State University, Bakersfield. She was able to talk with Veterans Success Center Coordinator Jamie Pacheco about the university and visit campus for a tour.

“CSUB is an inviting place. The campus is so welcoming,” she said. “I just already felt like I was supposed to be here.”

Esty eventually decided to apply to CSUB and started her higher education journey in 2020.

“It took me about a year to get motivated to attend, but I finally got the courage, did the paperwork and got in,” she said. “It was the best decision I’ve made.”

Esty graduated from CSUB this spring with bachelor’s degrees in both psychology and criminal justice. For someone who didn’t think college was in her future, it marked a major turning point in her life.

“It was thrilling. I didn’t think I’d actually get here,” Esty said. “When I joined the military, I thought that was going to be my life.”

Esty originally intended to just get a bachelor’s in psychology, but she decided to turn her minor in criminal justice into a major. After meeting the requirements for her psychology degree, Esty spent an additional year at CSUB pursuing her second degree.

“The more I was in school, the more I was motivated to continue being in school,” she said.

Now, Esty plans to pursue her master’s in clinical psychology at Pacific University in Oregon this fall and hopes to one day get her Ph.D.

“I’m proud of Julie and happy to hear that the support she received through the Veterans Success Center helped her reach her educational goals,” Pacheco said. “I wish her all the best as she continues on to pursue her master’s degree.”

Esty is looking to put her new degrees to use as a therapist working with juveniles in the prison system and helping them make better choices so they can become productive members of society.

“I want to be there for them and see if we can make a difference,” she said. “When they act out, it’s usually them asking for help.”

Esty knows that from experience. She had behavioral issues as a youth and was ultimately diagnosed with bipolar disorder when she was 14 years old.

“It was a really hard struggle. My mother told me I was faking it. It took a few years to get onto medication,” she said. “I realized that a lot of my childhood when I was acting up, the poor behaviors I had as a kid — if I had more of an understanding of what I was going through instead of being shamed for it, I could have thrived better and maybe had a better childhood. Today, as an adult, I’m succeeding because I’m on proper medication, proper therapy. I have all the tools that I need to thrive, but some of these kids don’t.”

Serving in the Army helped Esty learn how to better manage her emotions and exert more control over what she says.

“I learned a lot of military bearing. I had to learn that I was at the bottom of the totem pole,” she said. “I could have my feelings. I just couldn’t say them at the wrong moments. There’s a time and place for everything. That was one of the greatest things I learned.”

For graduate, CSUB was ‘best decision I’ve made’

From New Jersey to Afghanistan

Esty spent most of her time in the Army stationed in New Jersey and served as a mechanic. While she didn’t have much prior experience with fixing up vehicles, let alone military transports, she soon found that she enjoyed it.

“It was so fun to figure everything out. It was like a big puzzle,” she said.

It was less than a year into her service when Esty learned she was going to be sent to Kabul, Afghanistan. After an additional year of training and preparation, she was deployed and attached to the military police unit, which was responsible for escorts, patrols and guarding bases.

“It was strange to be so young and going through all that. My first time leaving the country was going to war,” she said. “It was strange. The movies portray war as constant violence, but what they don’t portray is there’s a lot of downtime too.”

One of Esty’s favorite ways to relax and pass the time was visiting a movie theater near where she was stationed.

“It was one of the only times you could get a moment of peace and feel like you’re back home,” she said. “The most sense of home you got was in that little movie theater, with its four walls shutting everything else out.”

Esty tried to keep in touch with friends back home during her time in the Army, many of whom were attending college, but found herself having difficulty connecting with them.

“I couldn’t understand the hardships they were going through. For me, it was like ‘you’re sad and upset because you got a B on your exam – I just watched people die,’” she said. “My empathy level went down a lot. They couldn’t understand what I was going through either. People tend to shut off what’s uncomfortable. They don’t know what to say. I ended up pushing away a lot of people for having a different type of success than me. I just couldn’t speak their language anymore. I didn’t have the communication skills at the time, the coping skills.”

Now that Esty is a college student herself, she said she has a better understanding of what her friends were struggling with at the time.

“I didn’t understand that this is a very stressful situation too, especially when you’re trying to balance school, work and family life,” she said. “I didn’t understand that then because I was very mentally selfish. It was like ‘Well, I’m hurting. You need to help me,’ but I didn’t realize so were they, just in a different way.”

Esty served a year in Afghanistan, during which time she sustained serious injuries that left her with permanent disabilities. Although she had originally hoped to have a long career in the military, those plans were cut short due to her health conditions.

Looking back on her time in the Army, Esty said it was a bittersweet experience.

“I was glad that I had done my part, but at the same time I thought I would be doing it for 20 years,” she said. “I’m sad I got hurt, but it brought me here. I wouldn’t have had this experience if that hadn’t happened. Feeling like I lost my career made me want to get a new career, which brought me to CSUB. It was that huge shift that brought me here, that really sparked this huge thing in me.”

An 'amazing connection'

Although her first few years after leaving the military were difficult for Esty, there were a few bright spots. While working at PetSmart in Bakersfield, Tehachapi-based Marley’s Mutts Dog Rescue held an adoption event at the store. That’s when she met Rusty, a Shiba Inu mix who had lost one of his legs after being struck by a car when he was a puppy.

“I took him out of the cage to play with him cause he was absolutely adorable. There was just this amazing connection with him,” she said. “I decided I would adopt him. I loved him too much.”

A few months after adopting Rusty, Esty had a seizure and woke up to find him standing on top of her. Thinking that Rusty may be able to detect an oncoming seizure, Esty had him undergo seizure alert testing, which he passed. After undergoing a lengthy period of testing and training, Rusty was able to become certified as a guide dog.

“I never thought a rescue dog would become my service dog, but it was meant to be,” Esty said.

Esty’s adoption of Rusty was just the beginning of her relationship with Marley’s Mutts. After seeing a flyer asking for volunteers to foster some of their dogs, Esty thought it would be a great way to give back. The first dog she fostered, however — a black lab mix named Stewart — proved to be a bit more than she bargained for.

“I got this absolutely crazy dog and had him for about nine months, all the while going to school and work,” she said. “It was very difficult to get him calm and used to a house, but he made it through and was able to be adopted.”

After going through that learning experience, Esty had an easier time with the other dogs she fostered. She was a volunteer at Marley’s Mutts for about two years and fostered 16 dogs in total.

Esty also helped take care of dogs at the nonprofit’s ranch in Tehachapi, assisted with transporting them to and from the shelter and participated in various events, including organizing a Christmas toy drive.

“The patience you have to have with these dogs, seeing how each of them have different types of behavioral issues because of the traumas they went through — you have to work with each of them a different way,” she said. “Most of these dogs just wanted a chance to get out of the shelter and be loved.”

Esty said the experience gave her a better understanding of how to handle various behavioral issues, which she believes will help her as a therapist.

“It helped me learn there are so many different types of behaviors, and how to respond to them,” she said. “If you have patience and kindness and give them space, they’ll lower their guard. It’s the same with people. When it comes to people, they might have bad behaviors at first, but if you break their guard down, they’ll open up to you.”

Although she will be moving to Oregon soon to start grad school, Esty said she hopes to she can stay connected to Marley’s Mutts by helping them transport dogs to and from Oregon.

Marley’s Mutts Operations Manager Connor Long said Esty was a great volunteer who was always willing to helping in whatever ways were needed.

“Julie has been an absolute joy to work with,” he said. “Julie always has a positive attitude, is friendly with staff and visitors. Whatever we needed, she was happy to help with. While in foster, Julie worked on socializing these dogs and helped us find amazing homes for them. She has had a positive impact on the dogs and the organization and has been instrumental in saving numerous lives.”

'CSUB prepared me so much'

As if school and volunteering at Marley’s Mutts wasn’t enough, Esty also spent those two years working at the Bakersfield Vet Center. As a work study, she spent about 25 hours a week there doing administrative work. Esty enjoyed getting to help her fellow veterans and interact with them.

“I loved it. It was one of the best jobs I’ve ever had,” she said. “I got to chat with them and try to lower their stress levels so they could go into their appointment very calm. We just made sure it’s a very inviting place for veterans and their families.”

Esty said it would have been difficult to focus on her work and volunteering if she didn’t feel taken care of at CSUB. Although she was initially concerned about starting college after having graduated from high school a decade earlier, Esty soon found that she was able to get all the assistance she needed, whether it was in the classroom or getting access to groceries from the Food Pantry.

One of the most helpful resources for Esty on campus was Services for Students with Disabilities, now part of the Center for Accessibility and Essential Needs.

“I had a hard time hearing my instructor on zoom, and I was able to get transcripts of the class sessions. There were students who took notes for me,” she said. “It was phenomenal. There was nothing the school didn’t provide, and I was very appreciative of that. Whatever you need, the school will get it for you.”

Although it took some time, Esty found that she enjoyed college life. While part of her wishes she had opted to go straight to college after graduating from high school, Esty believes she may not have been in the best headspace at the time to be successful.

“Doing school now as an older adult, I feel I’m more well-equipped,” she said. “I have all the skills I need. I’m in a better mental health spot. I think everything worked out the way it was supposed to.”

While Esty is sad to leave CSUB — and Bakersfield — behind this summer to begin her graduate school journey, she is excited to see what the future has in store.

“I’m really excited to see what I can do at the next school,” she said. “CSUB prepared me so much. I’ve made great connections I hope I never lose. I know it’s going to be tough, but I’m very excited to see what my next possibility is.”

Stewart, Esty's first foster dog with Marley's Mutts Dog Rescue.

Esty fostered 16 dogs from Marley's Mutts.

Esty has fostered 16 dogs from Marley's Mutts.

Esty poses for a photo with President Vernon B. Harper during May's commencement ceremonies.

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Footnotes

Story by Joseph Luiz, writer/marketing and communications specialist; photos courtesy of Julie Esty; commencement photos by Arthur Schneider, multimedia student assistant

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FootNotes

Story by Joseph Luiz, writer/marketing and communications specialist; photos courtesy of Julie Esty; commencement photos by Arthur Schneider, multimedia student assistant

Migrant education champion shaped thousands of students’ futures

For graduate, CSUB was ‘best decision I’ve made’

Veteran Julie Esty earns dual bachelor's degrees in psychology, criminal justice

FootNotes

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