Tech School Tells Combat Veteran His Diploma Isn’t Good Enough

When an Army National Guard soldier returned from a tour of duty in Syria, he decided to pursue additional education for a job in the defense industry. A misunderstanding about his homeschool diploma nearly stopped him, but HSLDA helped get his plans back on track.

Jacob Hiller graduated from his parents’ homeschool in 2017. During his senior year of high school, he earned 12 hours of college credit as part of a dual enrollment program.

After earning his high school diploma, Jacob continued studying full time, but soon discovered he wanted to pursue something that did more than just engage his mind.

“I realized college wasn’t for me,” he said. “I hated sitting in a classroom.”

Taste of adventure

Hoping to broaden his experience, Jacob enlisted in the New Jersey Army National Guard in 2018. Although his high score on the armed forces aptitude test qualified him for a number of highly technical jobs, Jacob chose to train as an infantryman.

Working in that role not only provided a measure of adventure, it required him to develop the versatility to meet a wide range of challenges.

“We’re like the multi-tool of the Army,” Jacob said of himself and his fellow infantrymen. “If they need something done, they’re going to ask us.”

Jacob put his skills to test last year when he deployed to Syria as part of the 44th Infantry Brigade Combat Team. The unit shipped out to support the US mission of defeating the Islamic State terrorist group.

Battling terrorism

During the deployment, Jacob sampled a number of jobs, including manning a machine gun and tracking drones and other aircraft. He finally settled into working as a radio telephone operator for the base command center.

He also faced a hostile enemy. Jacob said his base came under rocket fire several times. He managed to fulfill his mission and stay safe in part because of a skill he developed in high school—how to analyze a challenge and devise a plan for dealing with it.

“If I look back, I can see I’ve applied things I learned in homeschooling to life situations,” he said.

Jacob returned to New Jersey and civilian life in December 2024. He decided to use his veterans benefits to pursue additional training as a welder, with the goal of eventually working on submarines at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard.

But when Jacob applied to a technical school in Pennsylvania, officials questioned the validity of his homeschool diploma. So he asked HSLDA for help.

HSLDA Senior Counsel Will Estrada contacted the school on Jacob’s behalf, affirming that Jacob had been homeschooled in accordance with New Jesey law. He also pointed out that, according to federal regulations, being awarded a homeschool diploma qualifies graduates for a number of endeavors, including applying for student aid or enlisting in the military.

After hearing from HSLDA, officials at the technical school quickly withdrew their objections and enrolled Jacob. He is now on schedule to complete his training as a welder by October.