Veterans Make NBSS Stronger

Every Veterans Day, we extend our deep gratitude to America’s service members for their dedication and sacrifice. For over a century, NBSS has been honored to support veterans as they transition from military service to rewarding careers. Today, veterans make up nearly 20% of our students and alumni, enriching our community with their unique skills and experiences. We’re grateful to all who have served for their commitment and dedication to our nation.

Explore the many contributions of veterans to our alumni and student community over the years through these stories.

• Improvements For A Salem Schooner: Time serving in the U.S. Navy had sparked a love of the ocean for Cabinet & Furniture Making Instructor Nick Maraldo CF ’07, which continues to this day. Explore woodworking projects he’s taken on for the Fame, a full-scale replica of the first American privateer to set out during the War of 1812.
• Crafting Space for Veterans: Learn how a partnership between NBSS Community Education and the Boston Vet Center is bringing local veterans together at the woodworking bench in a series of free, veteran-taught classes.
• Unlocking Bright Futures: Each year the Yankee Scholarship Foundation provides scholarships to our locksmithing students. Learn how the scholarship and NBSS network helped Army veteran Asia Baker LK ’24 transition to a promising career.
• Wall of Honor: To recognize the service and achievements of our alumni veterans, recently we launched a virtual Wall of Honor.  Discover inspiring stories from alumni who have built meaningful careers with their NBSS training. We continually invite all veterans within our community to contribute to this shared tribute.
• Making Fine (Not Fast) Jewelry: Jewelry Making & Repair alumna Kailey Maraglia JM ’21 saw strong parallels between her training at the bench and her time in the Marine Corps. Her work is held to similarly exacting standards, and she’s learned “slowing down was the only way I could really pay attention to the work my hands were doing.”
• Made For Veterans, By Veterans: The Home Base National Center of Excellence in Charlestown helps at-risk veterans and military families regain the lives they once had. When the clinical facility needed help with the design and execution of its reception desk, it turned to NBSS. The desk was designed and built by veterans and NBSS alumni Brennan Simpson CF ’18 (U.S. Army), Matt Frechette CA ’16, CF ’18 (U.S. Army), and Charles Strong CF ’18 (U.S. Marines). 
• Marine Corps to Maker School: In a Popular Woodworking article, graduate Grant Burger CF ’17 describes the “value of hard work, a thorough plan, and an ability to anticipate possible failures” he brought from the Marine Corps into his Cabinet & Furniture Making training. “In the military, these lessons are burned deep into a soldier’s subconscious… In the world of woodworking and fine craftsmanship, it’s your product, your reputation and your fingers that hang in the balance.”