New England College was founded in 1946 to help veterans return to college after World War II. This series of articles will highlight veteran students, staff, and faculty whose post-service paths led them to New England College.
Doctor Raelyn Viti is a professor and Director of the Outdoor Education Program at NEC. Viti has incorporated many professional experiences into her career as a professor, including time spent in the United States Army as a 91 Bravo in the medical field and eventually making her way to be a sergeant.
“I went to PLDC, which is the sergeant training school- that’s when I became a sergeant and started to lead. And those are really important things, because you’re not only learning these technical skills, but you are learning how to give very explicit directions, and they’re not always with care. It’s with need, and then the care comes later,” Viti said in an interview with the New Englander.
Viti joined the Army at 17 years old, directly after graduating high school during a time of war.
“I went in in ’93 and I got out in 2001. So, I joined during a wartime that ended in ’94 I got out just before we went to war again September 11, 2001,” Viti said.
Being a 91 Bravo taught her things that she has carried not only into her many professions, but in life.
“I feel very confident in understanding what a firearm is. We talk about firearms all the time, and I have no insecurities about being around a firearm. I don’t personally own any, but I don’t feel less confident,” Viti said.
After staying in for as long as she could and working with multiple outdoor education focused companies, Viti decided to go back to school.
“One of the reasons I became a student in 2021 was to remind myself what it was like to be a student, and it shifted my whole philosophy on how I work with my students,” Viti said.
Viti has an extensive professional history that aligns with her career as an outdoor education professor. Even now, she is on the ski patrol team for Pats Peak, a ski mountain near NEC. Viti spoke about how learning how to take care of physical fitness in the service has helped her now in these careers.
“And now working with ski patrol, there’s a direct tie in between the 10th mountain unit and ski patrol,” Viti said.
All together, Viti thinks the service has given her many tools to better herself, her life and her career and is thankful for her time and what it taught her.
“I think the service taught me that you are accountable for others. Your actions impact others, but you’re accountable to yourself and everyone else,” Viti said.
