Lt. Daniel Glenn, an Explosive Ordnance Disposal officer assigned to EOD Mobile Unit 2, has been selected as part of the inaugural class of the Schwarzman Scholars Program.

The highly-competitive, prestigious program offers a fully funded Master's Degree in one of three disciplines at Tsinghua University in Beijing; Glenn has been accepted to receive his Master of Arts in Economics.

"I'm quite excited," said Glenn. "I'm the eldest member of the inaugural class of Schwarzman Scholars--under the age limit by four days. I'm the only active-duty member of the class with experience as an officer." Glenn doesn't count his age as a hindrance, but a lens through which he can use his experiences to mentor others and springboard into a new chapter.

"The way that I think about that is ... Thinking on how I was six years ago," said Glenn. "I think how much I've learned and how much I've grown in those six years. I was so idealistic, I was so energetic, but at the same time, just me personally, I was nave. So I hope that I can bring my experience and the realism that experience seems to breed. I hope that I can absorb some of their idealism."

Glenn's mentor, Dr. Stephen Wrage, a professor at the United States Naval Academy, brought the program to Glenn's attention during a conversation they shared regarding Glenn's next steps. Wrage knew Glenn's passion for leadership - Glenn held 9 leadership positions while a midshipman - and thought the program would be a perfect fit. According to the Schwarzman Scholars website, the program is "designed to prepare the next generation of global leaders." Glenn was immediately interested.

"When I was reading on the website, about leadership-I knew this was the program for me," said Glenn. "I was hooked. EOD's logo is a shield with a bomb on it. The Schwarzman program's insignia is a shield. From the first minute of hearing about the program, my focus was singular. I felt the same way about the Naval Academy and Navy EOD-such an outrageous honor, I have so much to live up to, so much to prove."

Glenn has already proven much during his six years of active duty service, graduating early from USNA and enrolling at the University of Maryland, College Park, as part of the Voluntary Graduate Education Program. After earning a Master of Arts in Government and Politics, Foreign Policy, Glenn completed the approximately 18 months of dive, jump, tactical expeditionary combat skills, and EOD training for his pipeline. He then deployed twice to the CENTCOM area of responsibility, and was recently awarded a Bronze Star for his second deployment-coincidentally, when he found out he would be a Schwarzman Scholar.

Following his conversation with Wrage, Glenn sent in an application while in Turkey, and Skyped in an interview for consideration while in Baghdad. The emails that came after, telling him he was a semi-finalist and then a finalist, all arrived while he was in theater, along with a New York Times article detailing the program and featuring Glenn.

"It was about 3:30 in the morning when I got the email in Iraq telling me I was accepted," said Glenn. "I was so humbled I didn't tell anyone for two days. Not even my team. This program is such a dream come true for me, I didn't even know how to tell anybody. I feel like I wasn't accepting it, I must have read this email 10 times. It's too much--It can't be real."

Glenn eventually told his team: "they were mad at me that I didn't tell them right away," he said, describing their support and the close knit nature of their relationships. Glenn also realized that being accepted to the program meant he would be leaving active duty, as the previous Master's Degree meant he was ineligible for a break in service to pursue a second. Still, despite the bittersweetness of the moment, Glenn looks forward to what the future brings.

"My dad always said to me that this was a chapter, this was going to be the warrior chapter in the story of my life," said Glenn. "I think that's true for everyone who serves. A lot of times we don't really think about it that way. People that are in the military for one, two, three decades, think of it as their persona-but I think it's just a chapter for each of us. I'm excited for the next chapter, for the adventure it's going to bring. For the first time in 10 years-there's such wild instability that comes with a military life, but at the same time, I think that, generally speaking, there's a kind of predictability about that instability. You know you're going to deploy, you know you're going to move, there's a career path, there's wickets. I'm moving from that world to one that has no rules anymore. And for the first time ever, I don't have a three-year set of orders I have to fulfill."

"Danny was among 200, 45 of which were American, selectees from approximately 3,000 applicants," said Cmdr. Rudy Schoen, commanding officer, EODMU2. "It's never easy to lose an officer of Danny's caliber, but I have no doubt that he will excel in whatever capacity he chooses to serve our country."

"Students will spend a year immersed in an international community of thinkers, innovators and senior leaders in business, politics and society," reads the Schwarzman Scholars website. "In an environment of intellectual engagement, professional development and cultural exchange, they will learn from one another and pursue their academic disciplines while building their leadership capacities. This experience will expand students' understanding of the world and create a growing network of global leaders for the future. For those ready to make their mark on the world, Schwarzman Scholars represents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

" ... It's overwhelming," said Glenn. "I'm almost waiting for someone to tell me it's all a dream."

EODMU2 provides credible, combat-ready EOD forces capable of deploying anywhere, anytime in support of national interests. EODMU 2 is assigned to EODGRU 2, headquartered at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story (JEBLCFS), oversees all East Coast-based Navy EOD mobile units, including one forward deployed mobile unit in Spain, as well as EOD Expeditionary Support Unit (EODESU) 2, EOD Training and Evaluation Unit (EODTEU) 2, and the only East Coast-based mobile diving and salvage unit, MDSU 2.