Concordia’s Student Veterans Alliance club builds a community for veterans and dependents of service members attending Concordia University. In honor of Veterans Day, the club is preparing several events on campus for the week of Nov. 11 to 15.

“‘Service to others’ is our motto that encompasses the command of God to love our neighbors,” said Marin Mowad, sophomore and president of the club. “Our service to our country unites us, service to God guides us, and service to our community fulfills us. Our common purpose is to bridge cultural gaps between veterans, dependents and non-military students.”

Mowad, a military dependent, stated that she has deeply valued her experience working with military-affiliated students and learning about the vets’ military experience and their transition between military and civilian life. Her goal as president is to help create a more organized community for military-affiliated students to come together. 

“It has been an enriching experience where I have gotten to meet many members from all branches and dependents who have worked hard to get where they are,” said Brandon Lauford, junior and vice president. His goal for this club is to foster a welcoming community focusing on growth, good memories and academic success. 

Lauford served primarily as a 0111, Administrative Specialist in the Marines. He mainly worked in the legal department, creating court-martials, promotions, rank reductions and the brig. Lauford also worked with security details and the Wounded Warrior Battalion.

Student Veterans Alliance organizes and sponsors several different resources on campus. Some of their regular events include holiday parties, support groups, study hall hours and Bible studies. The Alliance has scheduled a full slate of events and activities next week to honor Veterans Day.

On Mon., Nov. 11, they will have a flag raising, and on Tuesday, the club is hosting a veterans panel. On Wednesday,  there will be a hike at Shady Canyon. On Friday, the Student Veterans Alliance will greet at Chapel. For the entirety of the week, they will be tabling and have a pull-up bar in front of the Student Union for the school to try to beat David Goggin’s 24-hour pull-up record. 

Another major resource that Concordia provides strictly for military-affiliated students is the Staff Sergeant Matthew Thompson Veterans Resource Center (VRC) in the Admin building on campus. Students can access workstations, printing, coffee, tea, espresso, a food pantry, an ice machine, scantrons, office supplies and a TV. 

The center is named after Staff Sergeant Matthew Thompson, who died August 23, 2016, in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. Thompson was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne). He graduated from Concordia with a B.A. in Theological Studies in 2011.

“We have two staff members, myself and Anna Bidondo, who help students understand their benefits, how to obtain more benefits, and orient students to successfully graduate and fulfill their vocations,” said Richard Lewis, Director of the Veterans Resource Center. Lewis attended Concordia as a student and is a veteran himself; his Army service included deployments and temporary duty assignments in West Africa and the Middle East.

“The VRC has been really helpful for us veterans. We have a place to work, relax and connect with other veterans or active military,” said Jesse Linares, senior. “It’s nice to have people around who have gone through similar experiences in life.” His military background is six years of active duty with the Navy, working as a hospital corpsman. 

The Veterans Resource Center also offers a work-study program. “Being a work-study for the Veterans Resource Center has been my favorite part. Not only do I get to help veterans on campus with career paths and offer peer-to-peer support, but I am also able to work off campus with other veteran organizations and bring those resources to Concordia. I love attending veteran-oriented seminars and collaborative efforts,” said Nicholas Piazza, junior. He was in the U.S. Army, part of a Heavy Weapons Company with the 10th MTN Division to Afghanistan and Stryker unit 3/2 CR, out of Vilseck, Germany. 

Piazza shared his experience as a veteran at Concordia. “My first event was the Hunt, where another veteran and I attended together. I immediately was welcomed by students, and within a period of a couple of hours, I felt like I belonged. I felt like I wasn’t being judged for being an older student or for being a broken veteran. I felt like I was accepted and supported for who I was in that moment.” 

There are multiple ways students can support and acknowledge the veterans on campus. Mowad encourages students, whether military-affiliated or not, to attend club meetings and events to get to know members better and learn more about the military.

Lauford stated to show support for the country or branches of services. “This sort of recognition allows a veteran to reflect on the trials that we endured in order to succeed at the task at hand.”

“I think the most important thing is to help facilitate a sense of belonging,” said Lewis. “Concordia is a great place to make friends and rebuild the camaraderie that veterans left behind in the military.” 

Information and updates regarding the Student Veterans Alliance can be found @cui_veterans on Instagram. 

Tags: Veterans

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