When he learned he鈥檇 been admitted to Cornell, David Hernandez 鈥23 had recently left a more than eight-year career in the Marines during which he鈥檇 deployed to the Middle East, led security at U.S. embassies and served as an advocate for victims of sexual assault. Some enlisted friends and superiors had questioned his decision to apply to colleges, especially selective ones.
An unsolicited call from Philip Kay 鈥23, a veteran outreach peer counselor at Cornell, helped convince Hernandez not only that he鈥檇 made the right choice, but that he鈥檇 feel welcomed in Ithaca. Over two hours they talked about life on campus and in town, and about their common infantry backgrounds and Jewish faith.
鈥淚t felt more personal, like there was a community here waiting for me,鈥 recalled Hernandez, a student in the ILR School. 鈥淚n the military community, many of us have a lot of shared experiences, so you understand each other in sort of a deep way.鈥
Hernandez and Kay are among more than 90 undergraduate veterans now at Cornell, a number that has nearly quadrupled over the past five years thanks in part to proactive peer outreach by student veterans. It鈥檚 part of a broader effort to increase support for veterans 鈥 from prospective applicants to current students 鈥 that has put the of enrolling at least 100 undergraduate veterans within reach.
鈥淭hese students have served their country, many of them in combat, and they鈥檙e underrepresented at highly selective institutions,鈥 said Kyle Downey, a former Army reservist who leads undergraduate admissions for veteran and transfer students. 鈥淲e want to make sure veterans are a critical mass within our student population, and that we fully support them throughout the process, all the way to graduation and beyond.鈥
Support for veterans includes help navigating the admissions process; a and seminar designed to help veterans transition to academic life; pairing newly enrolled veterans with a student veteran sponsor; student organizations including the ; and a and campus lounge dedicated to veterans.
An increased emphasis on peer counseling also is credited with growing Cornell鈥檚 undergraduate veteran community, which includes students across a range of ages, some with families, whose needs and interests vary widely.
鈥淲e鈥檙e trying to make it a more personalized and personable process,鈥 said Mary Fisk, student veterans adviser and program manager and a retired first sergeant in the Marines. 鈥淰eterans really want to talk to other student veterans.鈥
Four years ago, a single student intern supported veteran outreach. Downey and Fisk have since assembled a team of eight peer counselors 鈥 including both Hernandez and Kay 鈥 with funding support from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
The counselors contact active-duty service members or veterans who have expressed interest in Cornell, who have applied or who have been admitted, connecting by email, phone and during visits to military bases and education conferences that are now resuming in person. They answer questions about application timelines and procedures, academic programs, housing, benefits and financial aid, while sharing their own experiences and offering encouragement.
Peer counselors often help address myths common among veterans, most of whom are transfer students, that they couldn鈥檛 get into or afford Cornell. Many veterans find tuition and living expenses are substantially or fully covered by the federal the and or Cornell鈥檚 need-based financial aid.
That was true for Joseph Dionne 鈥24, who once thought highly selective schools weren鈥檛 for people like him, who worked and enlisted after high school. During four years as a sonar technician on a Navy destroyer in the Pacific, Dionne鈥檚 interactions with peers in the military and at Cornell shifted his perspective.
鈥淚 started to feel that it was not only possible, but it had been done before, like I wasn鈥檛 the first person to walk this trail,鈥 said Dionne, a government major in the 麻豆视频 and 麻豆视频 (A&S). 鈥淭o have that common identity with the peer outreach guys really helped put my mind at ease.鈥
Now part of the veteran outreach peer counselor team, Dionne sees his role as 鈥渢o demonstrate that this is absolutely something you can do.鈥
Matthew Garcia 鈥25, who served as an orthopedic and surgical assistant at the Naval Hospital Guam, had doubts about getting into a selective school. He gained the confidence to apply after he, too, from Kay, seemingly out of the blue.
鈥淗e told me, 鈥楨ven though you may feel like you haven鈥檛 done a lot, you鈥檝e sacrificed years of your life to serve other people,鈥欌 said Garcia, a biology and society major in A&S and a veteran peer outreach counselor. 鈥淜nowing that there was a veteran community that wanted to support me 鈥 and not only support me, but encourage me 鈥 that call got me pretty keenly thinking about Cornell.鈥
The veteran outreach peer counselors say they appreciate the opportunity to give back to fellow veterans, providing the same kind of advice and encouragement that made a Cornell education feel attainable to them.
鈥淭he biggest thing that we鈥檒l continue to do is just keep breaking those barriers of entry,鈥 Hernandez said. 鈥淚 want other veterans to know that there is a home here at Cornell, that it鈥檚 a welcoming place for the veteran community.鈥
On Nov. 11, the Cornell community will with events including a guided walking tour of veterans memorials; a talk on the continuation of service by Mark Minton 鈥23, president of the Cornell Undergraduate Veterans Association; and a military appreciation luncheon in Barton Hall.
Linda Copman, a writer for Alumni Affairs and Development, contributed to this story.
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