Not long ago, Anthony Gutierrez was busy troubleshooting radar systems in fighter jets on the flight deck of the USS Carl Vinson as the aircraft carrier cruised the waters of the South China Sea. Today, he’s on a different kind of mission—to help facilitate community among veterans and military-affiliated students at the George Washington University.
After serving four years as an avionics technician for the U.S. Navy, where he completed a six-month deployment in the Western Pacific Ocean and another one-month detachment onboard the USS Carl Vinson, the senior electrical and electronics engineering major is currently the co-president of GW Veterans. A California native born and raised whose time at GW is also the first away from his West Coast roots, Gutierrez is grateful for friendships and support he has found through the roughly 1,100-plus military-affiliated students enrolled at the university.
“I don’t even really know what being here at GW would’ve been like if I didn’t have this community,” said Gutierrez, who moved to D.C. when his wife, who joined the Navy just as his own service time ended, commissioned as an officer to Pax River in Maryland. “The veteran community here is my whole foundation, for sure. I’m really appreciative of them.”
This week, GW will honor its veterans by marking the 71st anniversary of Veterans Day. The university has a tradition of educating service members and their families that began when it enrolled the first service member to take advantage of the GI Bill in 1944, alumnus Don A. Balfour, B.A. ’45, a World War II Army veteran. GW also has a history of national recognition for the services, including the Yellow Ribbon Program, that it offers student veterans and members of their families.
Gutierrez’ own service journey began in 2018, when he joined the Navy. He was fortunate to land on a job that wound up fitting his interests and skillsets that would only further develop during his enlistment.
His job as an avionics technician was to work on communications equipment for airplanes. He enjoyed the work, but it wasn’t necessarily engineering. In some of the more challenging issues, however, he’d work one-on-one with engineers who knew the planes “like the back of their hands.” It was through those interactions that he thought about what he would like to do after his service.
“Having those conversations kind of pushed me toward college,” said Gutierrez.
And that push ultimately led him across the country to GW, where he has been an active student in the School of Engineering and Applied Science. On track to graduate in May 2026, Gutierrez has a goal of contributing the advancement of the aviation industry. He loves planes, particularly passionate about fighter jets like the ones he worked on, and his dream job is to work on the development and engineering side of them.
“The way they fly is fascinating to me,” he said. “And beyond that, there’s just so much cool technology involved. The latest and greatest tech gets thrown into these machines—it’s insane. That’s what interests me. I’d love to be part of those advancements.”
Gutierrez said he “was just doing his part” during his time in the Navy, and his humility reflects the broader spirit of GW’s veteran community with individuals who continue to serve in new ways, whether by supporting fellow students on campus or, in Gutierrez’s case, pursuing a career advancing aviation technology.
Perhaps, even one day he will reverse the script and become that influential engineer to a young avionics technician.
