After conducting a counter insurgency operation in Helmand, Afghanistan, former Associated Students Inc. President Mark Andrews was incapacitated, spent 18 days in various hospitals and almost lost a leg.
Andrews was hit by a bullet in the leg and is now back in California, in the process of receiving a Purple Heart from the president.
“It was nothing short of a miracle that I recovered,” Andrews said. “I am very blessed because it could have been worse.”
Andrews said that the whole experience was surreal. He said he will make a full recovery and be able to walk normally again.
“I got a numb patch because of a nerve damage,” he said. “But I guess that’s the price I had to pay.”
Andrews said he is planning on going back to work after his complete recovery. However, he cannot go back to Afghanistan and, instead, he will be training new recruits.
Andrews graduated from Cal State Long Beach in 2009 with a degree in political science. He spent two years in ASI, first working as the secretary of city affairs and then working as the ASI president.
Andrews said being involved in ASI was one of the defining moments of his college years. He decided to run for president after a few people convinced him that he would be the perfect candidate to take ASI in a different direction.
“It was the ultimate internship,” he said. “It’s a real world experience that you can’t get in the classroom. Dealing with the administration and faculty and balancing all these different things is an experience that you can’t get anywhere else.”
As ASI President, Andrews worked on starting the U-Pass program and designing the Student Recreation and Wellness Center.
“It was amazing to be able to see and actually walk inside the recreational center,” he said. “We never got to see the actual thing because we were gone during the construction.”
He also negotiated contracts between KJazz and KBeach so that KBeach would broadcast in HD.
After he graduated, he spent a year working as a sales representative for his father in the aerospace industry and training to go to the Marine Corps.
Andrews said that he saw the Marine Corps as an opportunity to push his limits.
“I thought I should do something where I could push myself even though I’m not going to enjoy it,” he said. “It’s kind of like that test to what I can do.”
He said it was a life-changing experience.
“You get a better perspective of what’s more important,” he said. “It taught me patience and humility. To come from being able to do a lot of stuff and having a real voice here on campus to going to the lowest of the low.”
After Andrews finishes his two-year contract in the Marine Corps, he wants to pursue his master’s degree. He is looking into going to the University of Southern California and studying national and homeland security.
He also wants to be more involved on campus as an alumnus.
“I want to be on the board I was on as a student but now with a perspective as an alumnus,” he said. “I want to keep the prestige of our school and work on keeping the alumni connected to the school.