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Veterans ceremony kicks off Veterans Week on Tech campus
When Travis Williams graduated from Upperman High School in 2011, he decided to serve
his country in the United States Army instead of going to college. Eight years later,
Williams has the opportunity to pursue a college degree.
Williams is a freshman at 麻豆果冻传媒, majoring in legal studies in hopes of becoming a lawyer someday.
鈥淭ech has always been an awesome school and very military friendly with great programs,鈥� said Williams, a native of Buffalo Valley. 鈥淚 wanted to come here. It鈥檚 close to home.鈥�
Williams is one of many veterans on Tech鈥檚 campus who will be honored during a Veterans Day ceremony on Monday at 9 a.m. in front of the Jere Whitson Building. Sponsored by the office of military and veteran affairs, the ceremony kicks off a week of events which include veteran appreciation day on Tuesday, a student-veteran block party on Wednesday, a student veteran organization versus ROTC kickball tournament on Thursday and a campus service day on Friday.
鈥淭hey probably aren鈥檛 as comfortable being recognized, but our department feels like it鈥檚 important for the university and the campus to get an idea of how many student veterans we have on campus,鈥� said Mary McCaskey, director of financial aid and veteran affairs. 鈥淚t鈥檚 important to highlight them and recognize them for their service.鈥�
Williams will be one of the guest speakers during the veteran鈥檚 ceremony. An active member of the national guard, Williams spent his active duty in the Army at Fort Campbell and Fort Hood with tours of duty in Germany, Kuwait and Syria.
鈥淪ome days it was a blessing. Some days it was a curse or bittersweet,鈥� said Williams. 鈥淚 loved it. Absolutely, loved it. It was some of the best days of my life and best friends I鈥檝e ever met and some of the greatest experiences I鈥檝e ever had.鈥�
While on active duty, Williams began preparing for life after the military, corresponding with Tech鈥檚 military and veteran affairs office about enrolling.
鈥淚 had to work with the office while I was at Fort Hood, Texas and I was stressed,鈥� said Williams. 鈥淣ot with them, but with worrying about missing deadlines. They were super helpful. I didn鈥檛 miss one deadline. They set me up for success.鈥�
Setting veterans up for success is what McCaskey and her staff do on a regular basis.
鈥淲e are like a one-stop shop for them. They usually see us before they have even applied to the university,鈥� said McCaskey. 鈥淲e see them from a recruitment standpoint, helping them to be successful throughout their time here in college.
鈥淲e help them through the transition from military to civilian life,鈥� McCaskey continued. 鈥淲e help dependents with the G.I. Bill and with any sort of VA benefits. We even help with FAFSA and financial aid.鈥�
Williams said that making the transition from military life to college life was difficult at first after having been out of school for so long. Even though he is the oldest 鈥渇reshman鈥� in his classes and has a lot of different life experiences than the other students, he encourages other veterans to pursue a college degree at Tech after leaving the military.
鈥淒on鈥檛 hesitate to reach out to the veterans affairs department at Tech,鈥� said Williams. 鈥淭hey go above and beyond to help you out, especially if you are like me and don鈥檛 know anything. If you need help, just reach out.鈥�
For more information about Tech鈥檚 military and veteran affairs office, go to: /veterans/index.php.
For more information on the Veterans Day ceremony and activities during Veterans Week, go to: /veterans/veterans_events.php.
