By MC2 Danica M. Sirmans

Students enrolled in the Naval Postgraduate School's (NPS) national security affairs program take an opportunity to get to know the Dudley Knox Library during a break in classes, Jan. 5. The group is part of the nearly 400 new students beginning their graduate studies at NPS today.

Air Force Maj. Eugene Choi, pictured standing center, checked in to Monterey from a tour in Hawaii, and says he is eager to get the ball rolling after a 14-year break from school.

"I'm excited to tie in my operational experience with the academic side of the house, and I think NPS will help me do so," said Choi, a regional affairs strategist focused on Northeast Asia. "I'll graduate in March 2016, and I'm hoping to end up in Korea or Japan."