Keynan Hobbs has done everything from serving in the army during the Gulf War to getting a master's degree in sculpture.
But his desire to help his fellow veterans has ultimately brought him to Penn's School of Nursing.
Hobbs has joined hundreds of Penn Nursing students looking to make a difference. But he is anything but your typical student.
He is currently part of an accelerated dual-degree program that will earn him both a bachelor's and a master's degree in nursing.
His journey to the program was a long one, however. Hobbs joined the U.S. Army in 1989 and served in the Gulf War, leaving the military in 1992.
Upon leaving the army, he enrolled in art school in California and obtained a master's in sculpture. Yet he realized that his memories of the war were still with him in his art.
"Even though my technique was awful, the power was there because the feeling was there and the emotion was there," he said.
He then found he was able to use art to help himself understand and communicate his war experiences.
"I came out of it not understanding why any of that had happened to me or had to happen in the first place," Hobbs said.
He realized that his art not only shed light on his personal experience, but also expressed feelings that many veterans share.
"Having been to war and back, I think that there are some threads that run through all generations of veterans," he added.
After graduating, Hobbs taught art to college students in San Diego.
He eventually gave up teaching and moved to Connecticut, where he tried to become a professional artist but had little success in marketing his work.
Yet for Hobbs, his connection to veterans remained constant.
As he spent a year re-evaluating his career, Hobbs discovered that helping veterans overcome the shock of returning home from war was his calling.
"If I'd never made a difference in that, that's what I would regret," Hobbs said.
So Hobbs started taking classes at Penn and hasn't looked back, focusing his studies on mental health.
"I know what it's like for [veterans] to deal with these issues because I've dealt with them myself," Hobbs said.
After he finishes his master's degree this year, he plans to continue in Penn's four-year doctoral program so he can conduct research on veterans and on art therapy techniques.
Hobbs' colleagues believe that his past can only help his future.
"I think the fact that he has a background in art has really helped," said clinical nurse specialist Deborah Fisher. "He is able to look at things and feel the different permutations involved in a case."
