Jurgen Baeza Bernal ’26 traveled a circuitous path to Syracuse University, but he’s finally cracked the code on what his future holds. Before arriving, the California native explored an array of interests at San Diego State University, served nearly seven years in the U.S. Navy and possessed a longtime fascination with computer coding. “When I was a teenager, I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life,” he says. “But as I grew older and the military instilled discipline in me and gave me a sense of direction, I knew I should focus on what I wanted to do and my education when I got out.”
Education has always been important to Baeza Bernal—and Syracuse University had long been in the back of his mind. The initial introduction came in high school, courtesy of NCAA March Madness basketball. And when he focused on using his veteran benefits and returning to college, he learned about Syracuse’s reputation as a “great place” for student veterans and appreciated the information he received from the Office of Veteran and Military Affairs (OVMA). “I was very excited to go back to school,” he says, “because at the end of the day, my main priority was to finish school and get my bachelor’s degree.”
Enjoying the Challenges of Coding
Computer science major Jurgen Baeza Bernal ’26 calls his classes “fantastic” and enjoys the teaching style of his professors. In his Data Structures class (above), he listens to Professor Farzana Rahman’s lecture.
Baeza Bernal originally enrolled in the College of Engineering and Computer Science as a mechanical engineering major, but taking a computer science course convinced him to shift his focus. After discussions with his academic advisor, he switched his major to computer science, and today he’s all-in on pursuing his interest in coding and software engineering. “I feel like this is my calling,” he says. He’s been intrigued by coding since high school, where he was in a robotics club, and he took online programming courses during his free time in the Navy. “I was always playing around and seeing what I could code,” says Baeza Bernal, who likens the challenges of coding to solving a puzzle. “It was basic stuff, like coding a game of rock, paper, scissors—and I thought that was fascinating.”
That fascination inspires Baeza Bernal’s studies. Dedicated to his coursework, he enjoys his professors and looks forward to branching out from his introductory courses, seeing machine learning and AI as well as robotics as potential specializations. “When I see code I wrote working, it feels great,” he says. “It’s a breath of fresh air.”
Baeza Bernal is a California native who is pursuing his passion for coding and software engineering at the College of Engineering and Computer Science.
Last summer, Baeza Bernal participated in the prestigious Summer Research Opportunity Program at the University of Michigan, interning in the robotics department. He was part of a student team that explored ways to enhance the curriculum for first-year students who’ve never coded, and he worked with autonomous navigation algorithms to program robots for educational settings. “I coded a small robot so it could detect an object in front of it and move around it,” he says. “It was awesome to see my code running in real time and that robot move around.”
Servicing Supersonic Fighter Jets
It’s apparent that Baeza Bernal has an aptitude for troubleshooting. In the Navy, he worked as an aviation structural mechanic on F/A-18 Super Hornets—a responsibility that helps ensure pilot safety. He maintained the ejection seats and other components on the supersonic fighter jets, such as the heating and cooling systems and oxygen supply. First stationed in Omaha, Nebraska, Baeza Bernal spent the majority of his military career at Naval Air Station Lemoore in California. He had two deployments aboard naval aircraft carriers based in San Diego and serviced jets at sea. “The whole flight deck is full of jets, helos and other aircraft,” he says. “When we weren’t working on the flight deck, we would work on jets in the hangar bay. It was very intense.”
Baeza Bernal receives a Flag Letter of Commendation (FLOC) from Capt. Joshua Appezzato at the end of a 2019 deployment on the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis. The FLOC recognizes a sailor for superior performance.
Connecting With Student Veterans
When Baeza Bernal arrived at the University, he was apprehensive about associating with student veterans, wanting to put his military career behind him. That changed, however, through the efforts of fellow student veteran Savion Pollard ’25, who reached out to Baeza Bernal as a mentor and encouraged him to give the Student Veteran Organization (SVO) a try, letting him know it was a good way to connect with members who would understand what he was going through.
A 2023 OVMA spring-break immersion trip to Atlanta also helped Baeza Bernal ease through the transition. The group met with veteran-friendly companies and student veteran alumni, visited Tyler Perry Studios, attended an Atlanta Hawks game and explored the city. In addition, he struck up a friendship with then-SVO President John Nipper ’23, G’24, who, like Pollard, motivated him to become involved in the organization. He’s now the secretary of SVO, helping plan events, welcoming veterans to campus and sharing advice. “I’m in school trying to get my degree, but there are other student veterans and veterans in general who don’t realize how many benefits they have,” says Baeza Bernal, who has also worked at the D’Aniello Institute for Veterans and Military Families. “I want to be more vocal about letting veterans know about their benefits and help them achieve whatever they want to do.”
Baeza Bernal, who serves as secretary of the Student Veteran Organization (SVO), joins fellow SVO officers on a campus walk. He helps veterans adjust to campus life and wants to ensure they’re aware of their benefits.
It took time for Baeza Bernal to determine his path for the future, and now he wants to ensure other student veterans take advantage of the opportunities and make the most of their college experience. “I’m enjoying my time here,” he says. “I’m loving it. So far, it’s been great.”
