Campus Connection

Recent grad, veteran says college taught him to value diverse perspectives

When veteran student Donleigh Gaunky lived in Iraq, people worried about bombs resting on roadsides. When he returned to the U.S., people worried about what version of iPhone to buy. Relating to people with completely different life experiences was the hardest part of Gaunky’s transition back to civilian life after seven years in the U.S. Army. He started classes at UWL at age 30 and began engaging in discussions with fellow students straight out of high school who hadn’t witnessed the same poverty and destruction he had. He felt frustrated. He felt like he didn’t fit in. He had other struggles with post traumatic stress disorder and even attempted suicide. But over time, Gaunky said college taught him a valuable lesson — to learn to listen to other’s experiences and ideas even if they come from a very different place. And to open up and talk about his own. Jeremy Arney, one of Gaunky’s political science professors, says Gaunky, 32, brought unique experiences that other students couldn’t imagine to his classroom while also learning and gaining insight from others. Gaunky graduated from UWL Sunday, Dec. 20, with a degree in political science. “I appreciated Donleigh speaking up when the other students were too shy, uncomfortable or were plain not interested in a certain topic,” says Arney. “I also enjoyed his courage to engage me in a debate in front of the class when it was clear we were headed to the endpoint of agreeing to disagree.” In addition sharing his opinions in class, Gaunky also opened up during college about his personal struggles with suicide. He first talked to a general audience about this as one of the speakers on the theme of “What gives us pause” during a TEDxUWLaCrosse event in spring semester 2015. The event was tapped and his video, now with nearly 700 views, explains his first suicide attempt in March 2009. He was attending classes at Western Technical College, walking near campus and had a spontaneous notion that he should end his life by stepping out in front of a large vehicle. At the last moment, he pulled back. In the video he explains that the number 22 — the number of veterans who take their lives every day — doesn’t accurately reflect the issue. For one, it doesn’t take into consideration a suicide attempt like Gaunky’s. Not encouraging people to talk about suicide openly, honestly and in greater depth, is a disservice to people who need support, he says. [caption id="attachment_44425" align="alignright" width="300"] Recent UWL graduate Donleigh Gaunky returned to the U.S. in September 2006 after serving two tours in Iraq.[/caption] “I wanted to bring people a message that I didn’t think had been brought up before and see if I had the capacity to speak openly about it,” he says. He succeeded at that and hopes he was able to open some eyes to the need for more context to the discussion of suicide, moving away from simple stock war footage and suicide statistics. He wants to open the door for more sharing of personal stories, resolving problems and ultimately saving lives.

“We’ve been talking about suicide the same way for a long time. It’s like running a tire into the mud,” he says. “We keep the discussions at arm’s length. We like keeping it at a distance and not helping people solve their issues. If we addressed people more personally and talked about it among family and friends, we might find out what brought people to that point.”

During college Gaunky has learned to reach out. He’s grown his support network of family, friends, fellow veterans and, in particular, UWL faculty. In addition to learning to speak up, he’s learned how to listen to others and their different experiences and perspectives. “When I came back from Iraq there was a tendency to want to say, ‘I know more about how the world works then you do,’ but my college experience has allowed me to learn from others as much as they are learning from me,” he says. “College has taught me to keep an open mind and be willing to discuss. It gives you a chance to learn and understand other people.” View a photo gallery of winter commencement ceremony photos.