After serving in the Navy as both a cryptologist and a nurse, Jeremy now brings the values of duty, teamwork and leadership into Stautzenberger College’s Practical Nursing classrooms.
Jeremy Brink’s Navy career began with Morse code and intelligence work aboard a warship. Years later, he returned to military service as a nurse and officer. Today, he serves in another way: preparing Stautzenberger College students to care for others.
As a nursing instructor at Stautzenberger’s Maumee campus, Jeremy draws upon his military experience, clinical background and years as an educator to help Practical Nursing students develop the knowledge, confidence and professionalism they will need in their careers.
Stautzenberger College is proud to recognize Jeremy on Veterans Day, highlighting the lasting impact of his service, both in uniform and in the classroom.
Two Different Navy Careers
Jeremy first considered joining the Navy while he was in high school. After earning a bachelor’s degree in creative writing, he was still deciding what direction his life should take when a Navy recruiter started a conversation with him.
Jeremy was drawn to the possibility of doing important work while experiencing adventure. He enlisted as a cryptologist and trained in Morse code before being assigned to the USS Cowpens in Yokosuka, Japan.
There, he monitored foreign transmissions and submarines, decoded information and prepared intelligence reports. During his first four years in the Navy, he visited ports around the world.
That experience, he said, changed his life. But his military journey was not over.
“Life is not a straight line,” Jeremy said. “I followed a lot of different paths.”
After leaving the Navy, a friend encouraged Jeremy to consider nursing. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Capital University and decided to return to the Navy, this time as a nurse and officer.
Finding Purpose in Nursing
Jeremy served approximately nine and a half additional years in the Navy. At Camp Pendleton Naval Hospital in California, he cared for Marines, sailors and their families. He later taught Navy corpsmen and Air Force medical technicians at Fort Sam Houston in Texas before returning to Japan to work at the naval hospital.
While his first Navy experience introduced him to a completely different way of life, nursing gave him the opportunity to make a more personal impact.
“Being a nurse was more satisfying,” he said. “I felt like I was doing more.”
Military education benefits also helped make that career transition possible. Jeremy used his GI Bill® benefits to cover living expenses while attending nursing school. When he returned to the Navy as a nurse, he used his signing bonus to repay his student loans.
Jeremy left the Navy in 2018 after more than 13 years of combined service. With a young son at home, he was ready to build a career that would allow him to remain closer to his family.
Bringing Military Values Into the Classroom
Teaching felt like a natural next step. Jeremy knew he could explain difficult concepts, meet students at their level and break information down in ways they could understand.
After teaching at another college and working as a staff education nurse, he joined Stautzenberger College in May 2023.
Jeremy describes his teaching style as relaxed, with clear expectations shaped by military service. He is direct about what nursing requires and helps students understand how to meet those expectations.
Military service taught him that duty comes first and that every person’s preparation affects the entire team. Those lessons translate naturally to nursing, where communication, accountability and teamwork can directly affect patient care.
“You have to help everyone on your team get up to speed,” he said.
Jeremy sees that same spirit among his colleagues at Stautzenberger. He values the program’s small team, collaborative environment and willingness to give extra effort when students need it. Smaller classes also allow instructors to provide more personal attention and adjust lessons to fit their students.
A New Way to Serve
Jeremy’s career has taken him from intelligence work to military nursing and eventually to education. Although the settings have changed, the commitment behind his work has remained constant.
Today, he no longer cares for patients at a naval hospital. Instead, he helps prepare the nurses who will care for patients throughout their own communities.
We salute Jeremy for his years of military service—and for continuing to serve by guiding Stautzenberger students toward meaningful careers in nursing.
Interested in pursuing a career caring for others? Explore Stautzenberger College’s Practical Nursing program to learn more about the training and support available to help you take your next step.