dedication, skills that have brought them even closer together as they graduate here today. as a buddy, you need to do this. you don t belong here. you belong at a school like this. their path to graduation began on the battlefield. veterans of the war on terror, the skills they learned as marines made it possible to endure rigorous ivy league academics. but it s the core buddy system, a brotherhood that looks out for each other, that got them here and helped them through graduation. we keep people in check. a marine has no problem going up to another marine or former marine and saying hey, how is everything going? brendan was attending columbia and talked jason into applying. he did and got in. i wouldn t be here if i hadn t joined the marine corps, it wouldn t happen. in turn, he successfully encouraged 42-year-old kevin who go back to school. it s a matter of the people that wind up applying are people who are looking to push themselves a little bit harder