黑洞社区

Jared Smith, a senior studying chemistry pre-med, always knew he wanted to go into the medical field, but when he made the transition from active duty to a student at 黑洞社区, he found himself in need of a support system.

Smith has served in the Army Reserve since 2004 and found the change of pace in college to be slightly overwhelming. He and his wife had to learn to balance school in addition to their already full schedule with their four children.

"I think the biggest challenge for me was realizing my limitations,鈥� said Smith. 鈥淲hen you鈥檙e in an active duty environment or a military environment, you have very clearly defined roles and responsibilities."

The switch to an environment in which boundaries and expectations can be blurred left Smith looking for people to connect with who had experienced the same things he had. That鈥檚 when he found the Wichita State Student Veterans Organization (SVO), which he now serves on as president.

Finding a support system on campus has allowed Smith to engage more fully with student life, and he says the university truly lives up to the standard of helping military and veteran students.

鈥淭he flexibility of professors and the willingness to work with veterans is a part of proving that Wichita State is a veteran-friendly school,鈥� he said.

Though the SVO is still young, Smith says the relationships people have built through it go above and beyond the organization itself.

鈥淓ven if it ceased to exist, you would still have a group of people that were always going to be there for each other even if they didn鈥檛 put a title on it or hold events,鈥� he said.

Serving on the SVO has given Smith the chance to get a first-hand look at the many different programs Wichita State offers for veterans, including the Peer Advisors for Veteran Education (PAVE) program. PAVE connects veterans with other veterans, creating a resource and mentorship from people with similar experiences.

鈥淚t鈥檚 easy for a veteran to talk to another veteran about issues they鈥檙e facing, so that鈥檚 been an amazing program,鈥� said Smith. 鈥淗opefully next semester we鈥檒l have more new things come out that we can push toward veterans.鈥�

In the meantime, Smith continues encouraging others in his Army Reserve unit to pursue higher education if it鈥檚 the right choice for them and has found it easy to connect the experiences.

Though he鈥檚 nearing the end of his time as an undergrad, the experiences and connections he鈥檚 made during his time at Wichita State are things he will carry even when he leaves the university.

鈥淓qually important to the degree you earn is the network of support that you build for yourself, whether you鈥檙e a veteran or not,鈥� said Smith. 鈥淲hether you鈥檙e in a fraternity, sorority or a different student organization, the group of people that go through this time with you have learned to rely on each other and support each other. That鈥檚 as important as a degree and that鈥檚 going to further your professional career.鈥�