“There were times when I struggled. I was 23 years old and taking Math 1825. I hadn’t done math in five years,” said Tucci, now a supply chain management senior.

The Bogota, Colombia-native joined the Marine Corps shortly after his high school graduation in 2000 from the Marine Military Academy in Harlingen, Texas, and was shipped to Japan in the early months of 2001 to receive further training.

Even though enlisting in the Marines meant putting his studies on hold, Tucci said it was the only option he considered at the time.

“I just wanted to serve the Marine Corps in the best aspect I could. It was a job, and at that point, that was all I wanted to do in life,” said Tucci, whose parents instilled in him a passionate love for the United States.

Tucci traveled from Japan to Iraq in March of 2003, where he served as a logistics non-commissioned officer-in-charge as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom 1. He spent eight months in the Middle East before returning to Japan.

All that travel might wear on some people, but Tucci, who lived in six different states by the time he was in high school, was seemingly better equipped to handle the mileage.

“It’s difficult being away from your family. Whether it’s from East Lansing to Detroit, Detroit to Tokyo, or Tokyo to God-knows-where-else,” Tucci said. “But you hold on to the bonds you do have.”

After returning to the United States in May 2004 following three years of overseas service, Tucci began his career at MSU and has since encountered the challenges of getting back into the normal flow of daily life back in the states.

“Age-wise and experience-wise, I’m a little ahead of the curve, and that presents its own difficulties sometimes,” Tucci, 25, said.

One of those challenges, he said, was finding a group of people outside the Marines he could relate to.

“I didn’t go to high school here in Michigan, so I really didn’t have a niche of friends, and I had to start making new friends. You just have to make due with where you are and what you’re doing,” he said.

Tucci left the Marine Corps in order to get the education necessary to someday support a family, but he can always draw on his experiences as a Marine that helped shape him.

“As a Marine, you’re taught to always adapt and overcome, and I know that nothing will stand in my way,” he said. “I try to do everything I’m assigned, asked or feel motivated to do to the best of my ability.”

Tucci said he has made the most of his opportunity at MSU.

Since joining the community, Tucci has served as the fundraising chairman and president for the Native American and Hispanic Business Students, vice president of Sigma Chi fraternity, vice president of administration for the Interfraternity Council and most recently a member of the 2007 Homecoming court.

Selection committee member April Clobes said Tucci’s drive to be on the Homecoming court set him apart from the other candidates. Clobes said the leadership skills he drew from his military experience directly contributed to his selection.

“He bled green and showed a lot of Spartan pride,” she said.