Four years in the Air Force taught Constance Laflamme structure, discipline and hard work. You do your job to the best of your ability and trust others to do theirs. Know what you’re expected to do and ‘come correct to it.’
That’s a bit of advice Laflamme picked up while serving in the Medical Service Corps during the Gulf War. As the medical readiness officer at Castle Air Force Base in California, she helped ensure military personnel were medically prepared for peacetime duties and wartime deployments.
It was demanding work, and Laflamme loves work.
That’s partly what made it so difficult to leave. Though she went on to build a successful career in public health and become CEO of her own company, adjusting to civilian life wasn’t always easy. At times, it was downright terrifying.
“It did feel lonely,” Laflamme said. “You don’t have the people around you all the time. You don’t have the structure that takes care of you. I missed the regiment of it all.”
A visit to Michigan State University reminded Laflamme of that uncertain chapter of her life. The proud 1984 Spartan alumna and donor toured MSU’s Center for Veterans and Military-Affiliated Students (CVMAS) in late 2023 and met two student veterans navigating their own transition to campus life.
Their military experience differed from hers, but Laflamme recognized a bit of herself in their journeys and the challenges of leaving a highly structured military career.
“You have so much scaffolding in the military, and then you get to college and it’s gone,” Laflamme said. “When I left the Air Force, I felt that loss too. These people coming out are just dropped into civilian life. And civilian life is so different from military life.”
CVMAS was founded to provide support. Laflamme appreciated the camaraderie and community the center offered and wondered how she could help. In talking with center director Patrick Forystek, she learned about MSU’s partnership with Warrior-Scholar Project.
“This is it,” Laflamme remembers thinking. “This is where I can really help.”
A Spartan home for veterans
The Warrior-Scholar Project is a nonprofit organization that helps enlisted veterans ease into college. Its annual, weeklong academic boot camps introduce participants to college-level learning while helping them build the skills and confidence to navigate higher education.
Veterans live in student dorms, attend lectures and workshops, and partner with peer mentors who help them prepare for the demands of college. Not every participant goes on to enroll at MSU, but the experience helps all veterans better understand their options and prepare for their next steps.
“The WSP program is incredibly impactful,” Forystek said. “It’s a life-changing program allowing MSU to move toward becoming a national leader in veteran transition support.”
Since its founding in 2012, the Warrior-Scholar Project has served more than 2,800 veterans and service members nationwide. The organization says more than 90% of its alumni have completed or are on track to complete a college degree, and 99% recommend the program to fellow veterans.
MSU partnered with the Warrior-Scholar Project in 2024 and hosted its third annual boot camp in July 2026. Laflamme’s generosity has made the partnership possible, funding its first three years and pledging to continue that support in the years ahead.
“We’re only able to carry out our mission because of Constance’s generosity,” Forystek said. “Not only does her funding allow us to support this program from a simple operational standpoint, but it’s also incredibly encouraging to have a veteran donor see what we’re doing with WSP and say, ‘yes, I believe in this program,’ because she understands the need.”
A lifetime of service to others
Laflamme’s life has been marked by constant transition and commitment to giving back to those in need.
She arrived fresh off the plane—her first flight ever—at 17 years old to Michigan State from Long Island, New York. Her brother had been a Spartan, and though he had graduated, she followed his lead. With her closest friends and family over 12 hours away, she settled into her new home at Abbot Hall.
True to her nature, Laflamme loved to work—more even than she loved to study. She preferred ancillary jobs in the hematology lab and immunology lab, enjoying the proximity to important medical research even if she wasn’t directly involved. She also worked in the library and downtown bars to pay her own way through school.
She graduated from the College of Natural Science with a degree in zoology and moved back east, earning her master’s degree in public health from Boston University.
Wanting to serve her country, Laflamme joined the Air Force Medical Service Corps. Her responsibilities included disaster preparedness and coordinating medical screenings, vaccinations and other readiness requirements for service members. In 1991, she was named Strategic Air Command Company Grade Officer of the Year and nominated for an Air Force-wide award.
After four years, she made the difficult decision to leave and return to “the nitty-gritty” of public health. She wanted to help vulnerable communities through the systems and services they depended on.
“It’s all about the safety net,” Laflamme said. “It’s about putting your arms around somebody and making sure that vulnerable populations don’t have chains on them.”
That philosophy has guided her career at Paradigm Healthcare, which helps schools secure Medicaid funding for health and social services benefiting underserved children. What began as a small startup in 1994 has grown into a 34-person company, with Laflamme becoming an owner and CEO in 2004.
Making a difference
Laflamme reconnected with MSU after her son, Jacob, and daughter-in-law, Molly, became Spartans. Her giving journey started soon afterward. When Molly’s college suitemate couldn’t afford the HPV vaccine, Laflamme offered to cover the cost and then asked, ‘How can I do more of this?’
Through a $150,000 gift to MSU’s Olin Health Center, Laflamme established a fund to ensure student access to HPV vaccines regardless of their ability to pay. That initiative has since expanded to cover additional preventive health services for students.
That act opened Laflamme to the difference one person can make at MSU. At CVMAS, she saw a community helping veterans find their footing during a major life transition. Through the Warrior-Scholar Project, she found a way to provide the guidance and support making that transition easier.
For Laflamme, the connection is straightforward: public health, military service and philanthropy all come back to making sure people have the support they need.
And she believes helping veterans is a responsibility more Spartans can share.
“They stepped up for our country. They did it without question,” Laflamme said. “They stepped up for you. It’s nice to step up for them.”
Supporting student veterans is one way she can make a difference in a place she has loved for decades.
“My husband asked, ‘Why MSU?’ Well, I love MSU,” Laflamme said. “It’s just such a unique opportunity to support something in this tiny little corner of the world where I can make a difference.”
LEARN MORE about the Center for Veterans and Military-Affiliated Students. Contact Associate Director of Development Cooper Adams at adamscoo@msu.edu or (517) 353-7379 or visit MSU CrowdPower.
“Any funding, no matter how big or small, goes directly to support students,” says director Patrick Forystek. “They help keep the center running and serve as an affirmation from alumni and other supporters that we are carrying out the mission we’ve been charged with.”