After serving nine years in active duty for the United States Air Force, Frank Wintin, BS’19, graduated from the Kelley School of Business Indianapolis Undergraduate Program and boosted his career as a financial advisor.
“There’s no timeline; don’t compare yourself to someone else. You make your own timeline,” Frank shared. “If you have passion, heart and drive, you can do anything you want.”
Frank grew up in Bedford, Indiana and describes his younger self as “kind of a troublemaker” who knew to be successful, he would have to put himself in a structured environment. After graduating from high school, he found that environment in the United States Air Force.
In the military, Frank worked as an munitions technician. It was his job to make sure that a variety of dangerous materials and explosives were checked for quality, handled properly and stored safely. While in this role, he was able to travel to 18 countries, living in different cities across the globe. It was during this time in the service, in Guam, that he met his wife.
When he knew it was time to step away from full-time service, Frank did a lot of reflection and took a number of skill set assessments. They all pointed to one thing – finance.
“It is such a gratifying feeling to be financially free. Finance is in the top three of the most stressful things people deal with,” Frank said of his decision.
After researching next steps, he decided to come home to Indiana and study at the Kelley School of Business. He spent his first two years on the Bloomington campus. While he enjoyed his time, he decided to transfer to Indianapolis his junior year because of opportunities for adult, working students in the Indianapolis undergraduate program.
However, his studies were interrupted when he was called back to duty. He left school to serve for four months in Afghanistan. Coming back to school was a struggle, and he admits he had a bit of rough time returning to his studies.
“Day-to-day life while serving is so much different than what we do here,” he said.
But Frank persevered.
“Some grit and resilience you develop in military, but the resources are there to help people who are struggling,” he said of the Veterans Office on IUPUI’s campus. With guidance and support, Frank was able to complete I-Core along with two additional courses and stay on schedule to graduate December 2019.
In addition to taking classes full-time, Kelley Indy has opened career doors for Frank. He has worked for WestPoint Financial for 15 months. He loves having the opportunity to help others and knows that in this financial career, he’ll be able to reduce stress and help individuals plan for their futures.
Frank said he carried many lessons through the military to school and now into his career.
“There is no textbook answer in life. You have to be resourceful and put in the effort to find the solution,” he said. “To other students, especially veterans, I’d remind them – Keep your passion and drive. Use the lessons learned in the military. With that in mind, you can do anything.”