Never Too Late for a New Challenge: One Student’s Path Through Service, Study, and Resilience

“The first day that I put my uniform down in my closet was the day I started here,” L. said about starting school.

While most students arrive on the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology campus directly after military service, L. took a different path. A major in the IDF Logistics Corps, she spent 10 years building a military career before beginning her studies.

Though older than many of her classmates in the Faculty of Biotechnology and Food Engineering, L. successfully balanced reserve duty with the demands of one of Israel’s most rigorous academic programs. But her commitment to both was challenged on the morning of October 7, 2023.

The day everything changed

Having spent years serving near Gaza, L. knew firsthand the extensive security measures designed to prevent exactly the kind of attack that was unfolding. When her father woke her up that morning and she turned on the television, L. struggled to believe what she was seeing.

“I thought it was fake,” she recalled. “There was no chance.”

As reports continued to emerge, reality became impossible to ignore. By 7 a.m., L.’s brigade commanders had convened an emergency call. Within 20 minutes, L. had packed her things and was helping mobilize reserve battalions, distribute weapons and equipment, and prepare soldiers to enter southern Israel.

“It was chaos,” she said.

For soldiers and commanders alike, the scale of the attack was difficult to comprehend. Information was incomplete, communication was fragmented, and many units were forced to make decisions with limited understanding of the rapidly changing situation around them.

“We got it all together after a day, maybe two days,” L. said. “But at the beginning, every unit was acting on what was right in front of them.”

Yet after nearly a decade in uniform, L. said there was never any question about what she needed to do next.

“You start to work like a robot,” she said. “Okay, this is the mission.”

Like many Israelis called to serve, L. also experienced profound personal loss. Friends and former comrades were among those killed or taken hostage. As an officer responsible for supporting troops, she found herself helping soldiers process devastating news while maintaining their focus on the mission ahead.

Looking back, L. still struggles to comprehend the scale of those first hours.

“When I’m speaking about it, I feel like my grandma when she told me about the Yom Kippur War,” she said.

Back to the classroom

Months later, L. returned to the Technion and faced a different challenge: the classroom. Sometimes, it felt just as overwhelming.

“There are times that I look at myself and say, ‘Maybe you should quit,'” she said.

While some classmates continued their studies uninterrupted, L. moved between military service and demanding coursework, often missing lectures, assignments, and exams. At times, she admitted, she felt like an underdog.

Yet she never questioned whether she would answer the call to serve.

“When my commander calls, I don’t even hear what he has to say,” she said. “The keys of my car are already in my hand.”

Support for the long haul

Thankfully, the Technion Resilience Center and reserve support services helped make that balancing act possible. Through tutoring, academic accommodations, counseling, and personalized support, the University enabled L. to continue her studies even during lengthy military absences.

Equally important was the community she found among fellow reservists.

One of those friendships was with D., a younger student in her faculty. Though five years apart in age, the two quickly bonded over their shared experiences as officers, reservists, and students trying to navigate an extraordinarily difficult period. Each understood the unique pressures facing the other.

Together, L. and D. studied for exams, encouraged one another through setbacks, and reminded each other that they were not facing those challenges alone.

For L., the Technion represents more than an academic institution. It is part of the future she is working toward. “It’s worth the challenge,” she said.