KILLEEN, Texas — Opportunity and success is why many people immigrate to the U.S. — and some of them even choose to serve in the Armed Forces.
That includes people like Frantzy Mesadieu, U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Army veteran who proudly served his country for 15 years before settling down in Killeen.
He is a Central Texan now, but his journey here began far away on the island of Haiti.
”I grew up there until I was 17-years-old,” said Mesadieu. “Then, my father who immigrated Canada and eventually came to the United States after a few years, petitioned for both me and my sister to move to the U.S. in 1997.”
After a couple years in the U.S., he found a love for his new country and vision for a successful life.
Putting both together, he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps.
”The military is a great institution and I wanted to be part of something because of the way my grandmother raised me,” said Mesadieu. “She raised me to work hard, and hard work was the hallmark of what we do.”
He went on to serve four years in the Marines and another 11 in the Army before being medically discharged.
Now, he takes the degrees he earned through Central Texas College and Texas A&M Central Texas and puts them to work on cybersecurity research at the university.
”To get that associates (degree), and then the bachelors and the masters, that’s amazing,” said Coraline Wiliams, a colleague of Mesadieu. “I think it’s very inspirational to our other students to see, if he can do it then I can do it as well. So, he’s had an amazing journey.”
It’s more than just his work ethic that makes him the successful man he is.
”He’s just a genuine person,” said Jason Arana, another colleague of Mesadieu. “He is honest, he is kind, he has laughed. You can tell that he is great father, he really cares about what he is doing, and he cares about the people he loves.”
That’s why he has a message for his fellow immigrants and service members.
”Nothing is impossible,” said Mesadieu. “You just have to get with the right people, surround yourself with people with positive energy and you will be able to achieve anything that you want to achieve. Possibilities are endless, you can do it.”
Frantzy Mesadieu is a Haitian born veteran who proudly served his country in two branches of the military and now works on a team finding new ways to protect the world from cyberattacks.
