Michael J
Michael Jewell is from West Peoria, IL and served in the U.S. Navy for six years as a Nuclear Machinist Mate/ Engineering Laboratory Technician. He began basic training in 2006 at Naval Station Great Lakes and completed further training at Naval Nuclear Power Training Command in Goose Creek, SC and Naval Power Training Unit in Ballston Spa, NY.
In 2008, Michael was assigned to the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72), a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier stationed in Everett, WA. He completed two deployments in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom in 2008 and 2010. He served as Reactor Laboratory Division’s Radioactive Materials Petty Officer during his first two years onboard and spent his final two years training new personnel as Reactor Training Division’s Training Petty Officer. While he learned valuable skills and lessons through the Naval Nuclear Power Program, Michael had always desired a career in healthcare.
Michael separated from the military in 2012 to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). He attributes much of his success at UIC to his military education and involvement with the Student Veterans Association on campus. Following his graduation from UIC in 2015, Michael was accepted into Bradley University’s Doctor of Physical Therapy program and hopes to one day practice as an orthopaedic physical therapist when he graduates in 2018.