Arsalan Rehman serving in Afghanistan.
Arsalan Rehman serving in Afghanistan.

When veteran Arsalan Rehman finished his term of service in the military, he struggled to reintegrate with the rest of society. He suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, and he missed the sense of purpose he once had in the military.

Then Rehman met with a veterans’ transition assistance counselor. With the counselor’s help, he learned to cope with trauma and adjust to life after the military.

“When I first got out of the military, I was dealing with a lot of emotions I’d never dealt with before,” Rehman said. “Working with a transition assistance counselor and seeing how she was able to take care of me is what drew me to the social work profession.”

Inspired to pursue a career in public service, Rehman enrolled at the IU School of Social Work at South Bend in 2019. During his first year on campus, he developed a support system of faculty and staff who helped make the transition to college go smoothly.

“My academic advisor, Mary Nate, was so awesome and supportive of the path I wanted to go down,” Rehman said. “Anytime I had a question, she was always there to answer.”

Arsalan Rehman and his Mother, Saima Rehman.
Arsalan Rehman and his Mother, Saima Rehman.

Rehman also took advantage of opportunities both on and off-campus to explore issues that interested him. He performed an agency assessment of the South Bend Vet Center, an entity of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs that provides readjustment counseling to veterans.

The agency assessment gave Rehman a deeper understanding of the mental and emotional challenges veterans experienced. It also drove him to find new ways to support veterans through social work.

Rehman plans to pursue a master’s degree in social work at IU Bloomington, and the painful memories that once held him back now serve as motivation to meet the needs of his community.

“After I got out of the military, it seemed pointless because I wasn’t able to help people like I used to,” Rehman said. “I was struggling to find my sense of purpose again, and through the School of Social Work, I was able to find it.”