Megan Connell-Cox

When Megan Connell-Cox joined the U.S. Navy at 21, she was trying to run away from a life of problems that wasn’t working for her anymore, but she was also unknowingly running toward a life with direction filled by her true purpose and passion. 

“I wasn’t happy with my life at that point. I wasn’t happy with where I was living or where I saw my life was heading,” she said. Connell-Cox’s life had been punctuated by traumatic events that left their mark on her and caused her to turn to drugs and alcohol. She enlisted as an aviation ordnanceman in Jan. 2001.

“When I was 21, belonging to the military didn’t mean to me what it means to me today,” she said. In late summer of 2002, Connell-Cox was injured when loading a MK-82 500 lb. (inert) bomb. After being discharged from the military, the long list of medications prescribed to her because of her injuries became crutches for addiction. Earlier life trauma and military experiences also caused post-traumatic stress (PTS).

Connell-Cox’s sobriety has led her to her true purpose and passion in life: social work. She enrolled in Central Ohio Technical College’s human services program in 2017. “I honestly believe that the last two years as a student learning the professional side of helping those with issues that I have dealt with and still do has really shown me that social work is the correct career path for me,” she said.