Student Experience

This Wahoo’s path led from war’s fury to the Academical Village

Stephen Canty’s journey to the University of Virginia took shape one night as he looked up into the dark sky over Afghanistan.

“We’re sitting there looking at the stars. I was 21 years old. I’d already been a year and a half at war, and I’m sitting there going, ‘Now what the hell do I do?’ Because I definitely did not want to be doing this for the rest of my life,” Canty recalled.

Stephen Canty to the right of two soldiers during deployment in Afghanistan

Canty, right, stands with two of his brothers in arms in Afghanistan. His company of Marines found their second deployment to Afghanistan to be turbulent, as Taliban and insurgents increased their assaults on cities and allied troops. (Contributed photo)

Canty’s road from a Louisa County childhood to UVA was long. It took him through intense combat and friends’ deaths in Afghanistan. It led him to film a therapeutic documentary of life after combat and to “search for his soul.”

Now, the 36-year-old’s road is bringing him to Grounds this fall. He is entering the College of Arts & Sciences to pursue his bachelor’s degree in history as a transfer student from Piedmont Virginia Community College, complete with a Piedmont Scholars Program award that covers full tuition and fees, plus support from a transfer advocate.

The title of “Wahoo,” however, was not on Canty’s list of life goals as a teenager. His first goal was to claim the title of “United States Marine.”

“Growing up, UVA was always sort of the ‘college on the hill.’ Everyone told me that’s where I should go, that I should get a degree and a good job and have a family and live my life a certain way. And if you wanted to live life any other way, you were kind of a loser,” he said.

What he wanted at 17 years of age was to be a Marine. But he was also an excellent student, and friends, family and teachers worried he would throw away his future.

“My grandfather was a World War II Marine, and I talked to him about it. He said, ‘Don’t do it, boy. You’re too … smart.’ And of course, I wasn’t all that smart,” Canty laughed. “I left high school early and joined the Marine Corps in the middle of two wars, hoping to fight one, and I got my wish.

“Now, nearly 20 years later, I’m going to UVA, and I’m really looking forward to academia. I’m going for my own sake, not someone’s vision of what my life should look like.”

If Canty has forged his future, it has not been a gentle one.

Portrait illustration of an ad reading, 'Get ready for the ride — shop the UVA Bookstore.'

“I did two deployments. My first was in Garsmir and my second was Marjah, which was the biggest battle in Afghanistan,” Canty recalled. “It was definitely ‘kinetic,’ as they say.”

After Afghanistan, he came home and enrolled in PVCC. His grades were good, but he found adjusting to civilian life difficult. His time in combat brought significant changes to his perspective and daily experience.

“Combat is some of the worst, most terrifying moments, and also the best, most fun moments of your life. The adrenaline, the rush, the highs and the lows are unparalleled, but how do you explain that to people who haven’t been there?” Canty said. “PTSD is hard to deal with, but it’s also hard adapting to civilian life afterward. Rambo wouldn’t make a great grocery store clerk, you know what I mean?”

Sharing the same struggles, Canty and his fellow Company C, 1st Battalion, 6th Marines veterans decided to make a documentary about returning home from war. “Once A Marine” features footage of the Marjah deployment and interviews with his comrades, and is available on Amazon Prime.

Canty moved to New Mexico and finished editing the film. He also learned to ride a horse and often escaped into the desert.

“The adobe buildings and the land reminded me of Afghanistan, except that everyone there wasn’t trying to kill me,” he laughed. “It gave me the room that I needed to breathe and relax. It’s a beautiful place where, within an hour, you could be out in the woods to camp and nobody would find you for months.”

Canty’s road then took him to the ocean, where he learned to scuba dive. It took him to Peru to seek spiritual solace in a veterans’ program, helping him accept his experiences and who he’d become. And then he followed the road back to Virginia, where he began applying to colleges to pursue his bachelor’s degree.

“I got into jujitsu, and a lot of the guys are UVA students, and I found that they’re pretty cool,” Canty said. “One of them was getting his master’s in history. Between rolling on the mat and trying to choke each other out, we were talking about ancient Greece. I had found a kindred spirit.”

Canty applied to UVA and UVA accepted. Then he received a Piedmont Scholars scholarship, cementing his decision to be a Hoo.

“Then I saw another challenge, a program called Warrior Scholar. It’s a weeklong academic boot camp for current and former service members. And I thought, ‘Man, this looks cool,’ so I gave it a shot,” he said. “It was 11-, 12-, 14-hour days studying, classes on how to study and writing groups, and college classes. I was exhausted, but I felt like this is the challenge that I’ve been looking for.”

With his new wife Amy, Canty is ready to pursue his love of history and a bachelor’s degree from the College of Arts & Sciences. (Photo by Matt Riley, University communications)

Now, Canty feels that his life is on track. After proposing to his best friend Amy while on a scuba dive to feed sharks, the two were married in July.

“I feel like I have a purpose. I have a program that I’m looking forward to. I’m excited about being at UVA, and I know what I want to go to school for,” he said. “I have done everything that I could to try and get back on my feet, and for the first time, I don’t have nightmares anymore.

“I feel like I’m home.”