Dalton Meyers, Williams Class of 2026 and a U.S. Navy veteran, sits outside, on the steps leading up to West College

Growth Mindset

Growth Mindset

In 2020, Dalton Meyers ’26 was at a crossroads.

One path led to a job offer. Meyers had recently finished serving six years in the U.S. Navy, working in Japan on weapons systems that detect and destroy incoming missiles and aircraft. He had an opportunity to return to a similar post in Japan—this time as a civilian working for the U.S. government.

The other path involved continuing his education. He joined the Navy with the hope of one day using his military benefits to attend college. But he didn’t have a clear idea of where to go or what to study.

Meyers initially chose the job. But two months into the lengthy hiring process, he had second thoughts. “I could see myself in 30 years, signing my retirement papers and just being the same guy but older,” he says. “I needed to see what my academic potential was.”

So he withdrew his acceptance and started taking classes at the community college in his hometown in Washington state. An internet search led him to the Warrior-Scholar Project (WSP), a nonprofit that helps veterans and service members prepare for college.

Williams College is a WSP partner institution and has hosted several immersive academic boot camps. Meyers attended a two-week session at Notre Dame, where he met a Williams alum—also a veteran—who encouraged him to apply for a travel grant to attend a prospective student open house.

That’s when his next steps clicked into place. Meyers applied to Williams, enrolling in 2022. Now a junior majoring in statistics, he brings a distinct perspective as a nontraditional student and veteran. He’s also continuing to explore the twists and turns of a future that isn’t neatly mapped out for him.

Meyers spoke to Williams Today about his time in the service, the transition to college and what he’s learning from his classmates.

 

What led you to defer college and instead join the military after high school?

I was a good athlete and a good student, but I wasn’t looking out into the future and thinking, “That’s where I want to go.” Debt was also the big enemy of my childhood [family values], so I didn’t want to take on debt to go to school, especially if I didn’t know what I wanted to do.

I talked to two of my cousins who were in the Navy. One of them is a goofball like me, but he had his life a little bit more together. I wanted to be like him. And I knew if I went into the Navy, then I could go back to school and use my GI Bill. So, my plan was to go into the military, do the best I could, and use that time to develop those questions of, “What do I want to do? Who do I want to be?”

 

Talk a bit about your service.

About a month after I graduated high school, I went to boot camp. I did about two years of schooling in the Navy. I learned about electronics, electricity, radars and basic weapon systems. Then I got orders to pick a specification within the fire controlman [area], and I chose close-in weapon systems. I finished second in my class and went to Yokosuka, Japan, where I was stationed on the USS Shiloh (CG 67) from 2016 to 2020.

[During that time], I adopted a growth mindset. I learned to be accountable to people who were way up the chain of command. I learned how to talk to people in a professional sense. I challenged myself to learn Japanese.

 

What made Williams the right choice?

[During the open house], I immediately fell in love with the place. I’d never been that far north on the East Coast, and it was peak foliage. Not a cloud in the sky when I was flying in at sunset.

I decided I needed to apply early decision. I liked the rural area. I liked the academics here, such as tutorials. I also wanted a smaller school.

 

What has it been like to attend college?

Sometimes it’s hard to connect with younger people. I struggled at first. I decided I needed to change my perception of my role here on campus. I wanted the classroom to be better for me having been in there. I started to see myself as more of an older sibling instead of another college student. Since then, I’ve had more students come up to me and just talk, ask me about life, because they understand that I have a different perspective.

The interesting thing for me is I get to ask them the same things. Most of them are coming from different backgrounds than I came from and grew up in a different time. But we’re all students looking out at the future, and there’s a lot of unknowns.

 

You met attorney David Olson ’72 when you took his Winter Study course on public speaking. He later hired you as an intern to review documents for a case. You’re still doing work there. What’s it like?

They give me a lot of freedom to ask questions, to look at all the pieces that I amassed and make sense of them. … It’s like what I’m learning in my statistics major. … I’m building the same skills that I want to use in the future.

 

Do you have a better sense of what lies ahead?

I’m looking at going into management consulting. I’ve realized I like being given a problem and not having to worry about the clock. I want a job that gives me agency to ask questions and to answer those questions.

 

Kim Catley is a freelance writer based in Richmond, Va. She previously worked for the University of Richmond and Virginia Commonwealth University and is now a contributor to a number of university magazines. Photo provided.