Celebrating the Graduating Class of 2025: Tom Bowers

The University of San Diego would like to congratulate all of our wonderful students who are graduating this year. We will be spotlighting students from across campus, sharing their educational journeys leading up to commencement.

Navy veteran Tom Bowers’ journey from Yuma, Arizona, to earning a master’s degree in counseling from the Clinical Mental Health Counseling program at USD’s School of Leadership and Education Sciences is a story of resilience and determination.

Growing up in the desert, Bowers always dreamed of leaving Yuma for more opportunities. After high school, he enlisted in the Navy and became a cryptologic technician. His role involved intercepting encrypted signals from nations like China and Russia and providing intelligence to the NSA. It was during a seven-month deployment to the Persian Gulf that he encountered the mental health struggles that would shape his future.

“I saw mental illness for the first time, both in myself and my friends,” Bowers said. “I wanted to help, but I didn’t know how. That experience fueled my fire to pursue mental health.”

After leaving the Navy, Bowers attended UC San Diego to study psychology before continuing on to the University of San Diego to earn his master’s degree. Throughout his studies, he found support in the university’s veterans community, where he spent time connecting with others who understood his experiences.

“I feel it’s important to support veterans with programs like the GI Bill and Yellow Ribbon Program,” he added. “We paid a price in time, blood, sweat and tears." 

Looking ahead, Bowers plans to pursue a doctorate in clinical psychology through a joint program with Palo Alto University and Stanford University.

“Walking across that graduation stage, I’ll think, ‘Wow, you made it,’” he reflected.