William “Billy” Haber is a Navy veteran who had to pivot professionally due to a medical diagnosis. With his unique set of skills, he took stock of what he could see himself doing after leaving the military and chose to purse a degree in higher education at Old Dominion University. Selecting his major in Psychology felt natural for him and it has opened up a plethora of doors. As he nears the end of this journey in college, he looks back to see how all the challenges he’s faced have helped him be ready for his future.
“I joined the Navy in 2010, and I was an aircraft mechanic for 13 years,” said Billy. He has served as a helicopter mechanic on carriers and destroyers and has deployed all around the globe. “Then I medically retired because I had cancer, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.” While fighting cancer, Billy realized he wanted to make a change professionally.
In 2020, he received the news he longed for after fighting cancer for a year. “I was cancer-free, and I’ve been cancer-free for five years,” said Billy. As a disabled veteran he sought out programs to make a career switch possible.
“I officially left the Navy in 2022,” said Billy. He knew he no longer wanted to work outdoors, but he assessed his skillsets. “I took stock of my skills and I said, ‘What am I good at? Well, I am good at fixing things,’” said Billy. “The other thing that I'm really good at is talking to people.” Billy wanted to explore psychology and see where it could take him.
Because of the Veterans Readiness and Employment Organization (VR&E), which is a program that retrains veterans for employment, he decided to go to college because the program paid for him to go.
“I started at Tidewater Community College in 2022,” said Billy. He received his associate’s degree in liberal arts in 2024. “Then I transferred to because it was local, convenient and it had a lot of good options for a blend of in-person and online classes,” said Billy.
His time is precious because he is also a single dad to three young children. As a dad and full-time undergraduate, he has been fully committed to finishing on-time. “I take summer classes,” said Billy. “When the kids don’t have school during the school year, I have to ask for some grace, and I appreciate how accommodating my professors have been.”
During his first semester, one of the first courses he took was a clinical psychology class. “That's when all of the career options for a psychology student were laid out,” said Billy. And he realized what his options were and the pathway to get there. “I want to get my doctorate and to get into a doctoral program, I need to be part of a lab.”
The faculty in the Department of Psychology have left a major impression on Billy to the point that he wanted to get involved in research. One faculty member stands out to Billy, Professor & Eminent Scholar Michelle Kelley. “I have never taken a class by Professor Kelley but when I found out that research labs were a thing, I went on the website and I looked at all the different labs,” said Billy. While searching online, he came across a military research lab run by Dr. Kelley. “Let me give this Professor Kelley an email and I wrote a nice email,” said Billy. After she responded and he went through the application process, he was accepted into Dr. Kelley’s military research lab.
“I've learned so much in that lab,” said Billy. “Dr. Kelley 's lab is focused on research, in veteran populations and the demographic are veterans and also active-duty military.”
In her lab, they actively try to recruit veterans to participate in research.
“I think we are doing a lot to assist in the treatment of veterans,” said Billy. There’s a lot of veterans who are walking around with problems, and the research that we do contributes to a better understanding of those problems.”
The research being conducted in the military research lab also benefits caregivers of the military population as well. According to Dr. Kelley, “Billy is bright, hardworking, has overcome challenges, has a natural curiosity, and has unlimited potential.”
“If we can figure out what is connected to what, and in what ways, then treatments can be tailored to the veteran,” said Billy. “I'm proud of the work that I'm doing and I think we are making the world a slightly better place.”
He is thankful for the compassion and understanding that he has received from faculty at while balancing being a dad and a full-time student. His secret to handling it all is to use his calendar religiously.
“Transitioning from being a sailor to being a college student is the best thing that I ever did,” said Billy. And I loved that part of my life, being in the Navy; but this is a really great way to spend the rest of my life. That's why I'm thankful for and being able to do what I do.”
Quote box: “There's always a way forward.”
After earning his bachelor’s from in May 2026, he has his sights set on pursuing a doctoral degree.