Michael Azzi

Tuesday, May 19, 2026, will culminate two days of major milestones for New Fairfield resident Michael Azzi. On that day, he’ll be the final Azzi family member to graduate from Western Connecticut State University, and the first to add a WestConn master’s degree to the Bachelor of Science in Justice and Law Administration- Legal Studies that he received from WestConn in 2024.

You could say attending WestConn has been a family affair, and it certainly began that way when Michael attended a sibling overnight experience while he was still in high school with his sister, Arianna, who was already a WestConn student.

“I had a lot of fun at family night with Arianna,” Azzi said. “She got two degrees in five years at WestConn, and her education has served her well in her career. The same is true for my sister, Sara, who graduated last year. I ended up having a great time during my years at WestConn, and I have no regrets as I prepare to graduate for the second time.”

Azzi’s Master of Science in Homeland Security will be the fifth WestConn degree earned in his family — his older sister, Arianna, received dual bachelor’s degrees in Psychology and Business Administration in 2019; and his younger sister, Sara, received a bachelor’s degree in Psychology in 2025.

Michael Azzi at AFROTC Field Training.

He may be the last to graduate, but Michael will be the first in his family to combine his studies with an Air Force ROTC (AFROTC) opportunity thanks to a WestConn partnership with Yale University. On Monday, May 18, the day before he earns his master’s degree, he will take the oath of office and be commissioned as an Intelligence Officer with the rank of 2d. Lt. in the United States Air Force.

Both events will be memorable for his family and for Azzi, who said that when he was in high school, he had “no clue” what he wanted to study or pursue as a career. “I knew I wanted to do something that would require a lot of hard work and schooling, and that would end up leading to a prestigious career,” he said. “Originally, I thought maybe that would be law school.” So, he enrolled at WestConn as a Justice and Law Administration – Legal Studies major, which offers good preparation for law school, among other careers.

“I fell in love with WestConn’s Justice and Law program, its professors and course material,” Azzi said. “But once I took a Homeland Security class taught by Adjunct Professor Chris Bittle, I knew I had found what I wanted to pursue. I learned about the military, policing, emergency management, community health, and counterterrorism, and it really exposed me to many of the different elements of homeland security. There was something about the way Professor Bittle explained the elements of homeland security that really opened up my eyes, and inspired patriotism and a desire to keep people safe. That one course changed my entire perspective.”

2022-24 SGA President Michael Azzi

Another eye-opener for Azzi was when he sat down with the then-Director of WestConn’s Career Success Center, Dr. Kathleen Lindenmayer, who graduated from the University of Rochester’s Naval ROTC program before spending 26 years in Naval Intelligence, advancing to senior positions and earning national recognition and numerous medals. Lindenmayer shared her ROTC experiences with Azzi and informed him that WestConn had a partnership with Yale University that would allow him to follow that path with the Air Force if he was interested.

In the fall of his senior year as an undergraduate, Azzi joined Yale’s AFROTC program — becoming, to his knowledge, only the third WestConn student to do so. The fall semester was a “trial” because he had to wait for an Enrollment Allocation that would come in the spring that would guarantee him a spot in the Air Force.

Once Azzi joined AFROTC as a cadet in the Air Force Reserve Officers’ Training Corps, he was “all in.” As a full-time undergraduate student, he made the 4:30 a.m. commute to New Haven several times a week to participate in practical training, physical training, academic coursework, and occasional weekend obligations. He managed all this while also serving as the university’s Student Government Association President from May 2022 through May 2024, and as co-founder of the campus Food Pantry, Wally’s Cupboard. He was a member of the National Society for Leadership and Success, and Alpha Phi Sigma – the Criminal Justice Honors Society. Azzi graduated with his bachelor’s degree cum laude in 2024, and spoke at Commencement in both 2023 and 2024.

2026 SGA President Owen Ibey presents Michael Azzi with the 2026 SGA President’s Award.

When he received his degree, he had completed one year in the AFROTC program, and the officer training program requires a commitment of three years as a student. The solution was obvious — Azzi would stay in the AFROTC program and reenroll at WestConn to pursue a master’s in Homeland Security.

“It wasn’t just that I needed to be a student for an additional two years,” Azzi explained. “I was completely inspired by the Homeland Security class I had taken as an undergraduate, and I wanted to learn more. I also have a really good relationship with JLA Department Chair and Professor Dr. Hassan Arslan, who coordinates the Homeland Security degree program, and he really sold me on it.”

Rather than spend the summer between his undergraduate and graduate programs taking it easy, Azzi embarked on an Air Force Field Training experience for three weeks at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama. Then, he jumped right in to his new roles at WestConn. For the past two years, he has continued to fulfill his Air Force obligations while taking classes and serving as a Graduate Intern in WestConn’s Center for Student Involvement.

During this time, his “all-in” mentality has led to his receipt of a ROTC Commendation Award and The Military Order of the World Wars Reserve Officer Training Corps Gold Medal of Merit from the Air Force. He also earned the Justice and Law Administration Award of Excellence in Legal Studies, and the Staff Sergeant TJ Lobraico Jr. Award in Homeland Security Graduate Studies from WestConn. At the university’s recent Student Leadership Banquet, Azzi added to his accolades when he received the 2026 SGA President’s Award from Owen Ibey, who succeeded Azzi as an SGA President.

Michael Azzi at his 2024 WestConn Commencement.

“My academic track in Homeland Security at WestConn and my participation in AFROTC tie directly to each other,” Azzi said. “Both have given me so much insight about my future career in respect to crisis and disaster management, and time and resource efficiency. It’s been a wonderful cross-training experience. Add to that my leadership experience as SGA President, the flexibility I have been afforded in my work as a Graduate Intern, and WestConn’s cross-town agreement with Yale AFROTC, and they have all worked together to provide me with this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

Azzi is eagerly anticipating his first assignment, which will send him to Intelligence Officer Training School at Goodfellow Air Force Base in San Angelo, Texas. After that, he said, “I hope to be stationed abroad using the leadership and academic skills I have obtained at WestConn to ensure the safety of our nation.”

He added, “Going to WestConn is so much more than some people think. There are many seemingly hidden opportunities and all you have to do is open your eyes and look, or ask someone. Once you open that door, you can make so much of something you didn’t even know was there. I had so many great experiences, and because of the size of the university, each student can find their own spotlight.”

On May 18 for Azzi’s Air Force oath of office, and May 19 for his graduate commencement ceremony, the spotlight will deservedly be on him.

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