Regent University Student Veterans of America Celebrates Veterans
In honor of veterans and their military families, Regent’s Chapter of the Student Veterans of America and the Military Resource Center coordinated several events during November and December to honor the service and sacrifice of its students and their family members.
One of the events, a Veterans Appreciation reception, was held in the Divinity Building on November 10. Attendees were provided with a meal and an opportunity to connect with other Regent University veterans.
One of the attendees, Akeisha Hollier, who served in the Navy, is expected to complete a bachelor’s in law by the summer of 2024. Hollier also volunteers to market and promote SVA to bring awareness of events for student veterans. She shared her views on attending events like the Veterans Appreciation reception, sponsored by the SVA.
“I feel there is a need, especially for veterans, as they transition and leave what they have known for so long. Find a group you can identify with or share similar experiences with after you transition. You can benefit from the help and resources you didn’t even know available,” Hollier said.
Also in November, the Military Resource Center and SVA held a veterans’ wellness and resiliency seminar featuring Sharon Schlerf Newcomb, who provided strategies for success and adopting tools to thrive.
Newcomb, an accomplished mental health professional, speaker, educator, and advocate, nationally known as an expert on military family trauma, as well as general population family and community, disaster response, and effective crisis prevention and intervention, provided an in-person and virtual instruction for veterans enrolled at the Virginia Beach campus and online.
During the seminar, veterans shared their professional and personal journeys from active-duty to civilian life during the peer-to-peer discussions. Veterans were also provided with a free professional headshot.
The SVA provides its members with resources to volunteer with community-related events such as the Patriot’s Pantry at Langley Air Force Base. In mid-November, volunteers helped to box up and distribute Thanksgiving meals.
The Military Resource Center and the SVA sponsored another outreach event to recognize deployed military-affiliated students and their loved ones through the Operation Deployment Blessings donation campaign that ended on December 6.
“Operation Deployment Blessings donation campaign helps to send care packages to our deployed military-affiliated students and their loved ones who are serving and sacrificing around the world during Christmas,” Rob Chambers, Veteran Employment Coordinator at Regent University, said.
The SVA is committed to providing an educational experience beyond the classroom. Through a dedicated network of nearly 1,600 on-campus chapters in all 50 states and four countries, SVA represents more than 750,000 student veterans. Its aim is to inspire yesterday’s warriors by connecting student veterans with a community of like-minded chapter leaders. These passionate leaders work daily to provide the necessary resources, network support, and advocacy to ensure student veterans can effectively connect, expand their skills, and ultimately achieve their most significant potential.
For more information, visit their website at www.studentveterans.org.
The current SVA board consists of President Jeffrey Westling, Vice President James Herring, Secretary Jennifer Cragg, Treasurer Rob Chambers, and Staff Advisor Mike Hendricks.
If you have questions about upcoming Military Resource Center or SVA-coordinated events, email sva@mail.regent.edu.
