Get the Most Out of Your Academic Journey with Marlena

Marlena Blackman is the Military Student Success Manager for Golden Gate University, which means her focus is to help students navigate GGU and their transition to higher ed to accomplish as many of their academic aspirations as possible.

Marlena knows firsthand how complicated educational benefits can be, but she also knows how to navigate them. She recently earned a Master of Science in Industrial and Organizational Psychology, MBA, and a Conflict Resolution Certificate from Golden Gate University. And she did it all while using her Post-9/11 GI Bill® benefits.

After retiring from the Air Force after 21 years, Marlena enjoys working one-on-one with veterans to learn more about their career goals. She said she enjoys the process of making sure veterans maximize any VA entitlements for which they qualify.

"I have always had a love of professional development, so meeting with veterans and giving information that can help them complete their educational goals has been both rewarding because it helps others and stimulating because it keeps me focused to learn more," Marlena said. 

Marlena hails from Boyce, Louisiana, and she's very proud to be the first woman in her family to go into the military, attend college, even to move away from home.

"I am a first-generation non-sharecropper, my mother, grandmother picked cotton for a living," she said. "I've opened the door for other members in my family to do the same."

When she's not working, Marlena likes to spend time with her family, traveling, shopping and cooking. She enjoys both coffee and tea -- depending on the time of day -- and, since she grew up in the south, she's a Dunkin' Donuts fan.

And since it's almost football season, it's important to note that Marlena likes the New Orleans Saints, unless she's watching with her husband and then she's a 49ers fan.