CVTI Staff Directory

Zachary is currently pursuing a degree in Biochemistry at the School of General Studies. At CVTI, Zachary supports initiatives that strengthen the transition experience and connect students to resources for veteran and military-connected students across Columbia University. In his role as a VA Work-Study student, he contributes to outreach, peer engagement, and event support, specifically assisting with late-night and weekend programming. He helps advance CVTI’s mission to build cultures of support in higher education. 

He is particularly interested in biochemical research and the intersection of science and humanity. Drawing on both lived experience and academic training, he is committed to advancing scientific discovery and contributing to the global community through laboratory innovation. While he originally envisioned a career in federal law enforcement, his time at Columbia shifted his focus toward the lab, trading his boots for a lab coat to pursue a genuine love for science.

Outside of CVTI, Zachary enjoys writing poetry, reading fantasy novels, and decompressing with video games. He is a U.S. Army Infantry veteran who deployed to Iraq. Through his work at CVTI, Zachary seeks to foster a supportive environment for fellow veterans transitioning into rigorous academic life.

Ronald Nazaro is currently pursuing a degree in Mathematics at Columbia University School of General Studies.

Ronald is particularly interested in pursuing calculus research. Drawing on both lived experience and academic training, he is committed to teaching/tutoring mathematics and furthering academic excellence. In his role as a VA Work-Study student, he contributes to event support, communications, data analysis, peer engagement, and outreach upon other initiatives helping to advance CVTI’s mission of building cultures of support in higher education. Ronald is a U.S. Marine Corps Veteran and seeks to assist and offer guidance to other Veterans who are interested in continuing their education.

Outside of CVTI, Ronald enjoys watching Star Wars and exploring the city with his family.

BA- Political Science, Minor in History, Columbia School of General Studies

BA - Economics/Political Science, Columbia School of General Studies

Marine Corps Veteran

MA - Public Administration, International Security Policy, School of International and Public Affairs
MSW - Integrated Practice and Programming, Columbia School of Social Work

Justin is currently pursuing a Master of Arts degree in clinical psychology at Teachers College.

At CVTI, Justin supports initiatives that strengthen the transition experience, connect students to resources, for veteran and military-connected students across Columbia University. In his role as a VA Work-Study student, he contributes to program coordination, research, event support, communications, data analysis, peer engagement, outreach, helping to advance CVTI’s mission of building cultures of support in higher education.

Justin is particularly interested in working as a mental health provider. He works with the veteran community with Onward Ops and The Resilience Center for Veterans and Families as a sponsor and transition coordinator team lead. His research interests include loss, trauma, and moral psychology. Outside of CVTI, Justin enjoys attending sporting events, independent movie theaters, and language exchange groups.

Justin served five years in the Marine Corps as a rifleman and security guard. 

MS - International Affairs, School of International and Public Affairs

MBA/MIA - Finance and International Security Policy, School of International and Public Affairs

Marine Corps Veteran

George is a U.S. Army veteran and Columbia University student with nearly a decade of active-duty service as an infantry non-commissioned officer. He served as a Staff Sergeant, leading teams of up to 30 soldiers during overseas deployments and managing operations in complex, high-pressure environments. His service included combat deployments and recognition for meritorious performance, including the award of a Bronze Star.

After transitioning from the military, George enrolled at Columbia University, studying Political Science and Computer Science. His academic focus centers on strategy, governance, and the intersection of technology and institutions.

In addition to his studies, George has gained experience in defense and technology environments, contributing to national security–focused initiatives and supporting work connected to ZeroEyes, an artificial intelligence company focused on security technology, as well as the Naval Surface Warfare Center.

He plans to attend business school to strengthen his expertise in finance and investment strategy, with the long-term goal of pursuing defense technology investing and supporting innovation that advances national security.

BA - Computer Science & Mathematics, Columbia School of General Studies

MSW - Policy & Practice, Columbia School of Social Work

Navy Veteran

JD, Columbia Law School

Danielle Desilva is currently pursuing a masters degree in civil engineering at Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science. She previously attended Virginia Tech where she received her bachelors degree in Civil Engineering. Danielle is connected to the military through her fathers 20+ years serving in the army. 

At CVTI, Danielle supports initiatives that aid the transition experience by connecting students to resources for veteran and military-connected students across Columbia University. In her role as a VA Work-Study student, she contributes to communication and outreach by acting as a welcoming presence at the front desk helping to advance CVTI’s mission of building cultures of support in higher education. She also assists with event support, maintaining the space, and responding to any questions or concerns brought by military connected individuals to provide clarification and assistance in any way she can.  

Outside of CVTI Danielle works as a Water Resources Intern II at Moffatt & Nichol as well as an Ambassador for Civil Engineering and Engineering Mechanics Masters Program. She has completed internships with focus in structural engineering, construction management, and coastal engineering and has over 5+ years of experience. Danielle is particularly interested in research in natural hazard mitigation and focus in forensic structural engineering. Drawing on both lived experience and academic training, she is committed to helping students inside and outside of CVTI get all the resources they need to advance successfully and work to the best of their abilities. 

MS - Technology Management, Columbia School of Professional Studies

Areesha Sampson is currently pursuing her MFA in Creative Writing at the School of the Arts at Columbia University, which means she spends her days thinking about language, narrative, and the power of a well-placed sentence. She brings that same attentiveness to her role as a Veteran Affairs Ambassador at the Center for Veteran Transition and Integration (CVTI), where she helps veteran and military-connected students navigate Columbia with clarity, confidence, and the occasional well-timed reassurance.

A veteran herself, Areesha understands that transition is not just about paperwork and course registration. It is about identity. It is about community. It is about learning how to carry discipline and leadership into spaces that may look very different from the ones that shaped you. At CVTI, she supports programming, outreach, peer engagement, and event coordination, but more than that, she helps translate the university into something human. Something navigable. Something welcoming. Her work sits at the intersection of service and storytelling. She believes veterans do not leave leadership behind when they hang up the uniform; they refine it. In both her writing and her advocacy, she is interested in voice, resilience, faith, exile, belonging, and the quiet transformations that define a life well-lived.

Outside of CVTI and workshop, you will likely find her chasing discipline in the gym, chasing beauty in books, or chasing a sentence until it finally says exactly what it means. She approaches everything she does with conviction, curiosity, and just enough wit to make even institutional language feel less intimidating. Through her work at CVTI, Areesha is committed to ensuring that every veteran and military-connected student at Columbia knows two things: you belong here, and you are more than capable for what comes next.

Adam Hamid is a current student at Columbia University School of General Studies, where he majors in Political Science and minors in Philosophy. 

Prior to Columbia, he served four years in the United States Marine Corps as a Joint Fires Observer with 5th ANGLICO and 2/2 Golf Company. Following his military service, he joined a Miami-based fintech startup as Head of Growth and led the company to a $160 million valuation. 

At Columbia, Adam has served as Treasurer of US Military Veterans of Columbia University, Secretary of the Election Task Force for GS Student Council, VP of Growth for Next Step Inbound, Research Assistant for the Political Science Department, and VA Ambassador for CVTI.

Adam has also completed internships as a Private Equity Summer Analyst, Public Equities Summer Analyst, and is an Incoming Investment Banking Summer Analyst at TD Cowen. He intends to pursue a career in Investment Banking following graduation.