The past year has been filled with a lot of exciting experiences for me as a military veteran, from being awarded with my first national award from MMAA to being a part of the advocacy and support for the passage of the PACT Act. From traveling to Washington D.C. and being a part of something larger, I have learned so much. While my HillVets & WWP fellowship has ended, I am happy to say that my experiences in the VSO community are just beginning. It is a non-traditional path for a PhD in my field, but it is where I feel called to.

My passion is helping and serving the military veteran population. I have found my calling with those who have experienced moral injury, PTSD, TBI, or other mental health conditions. Veterans are not perfect by any means, but I learned the importance of what a military community means at a very young age.

Important Lessons

One thing I learned from my fellowship experience is that relationships are so important. The colleagues I worked alongside with during the HillVets LEAD program are now amazing connections in their respective fields, and I’ve cheered them on from the wings. I also learned that how someone treats people is a deciding factor for connectivity.

A New Direction

So what is next for me? More research and more community involvement. Finishing my PhD after having spent a year working on the hill is the top priority, and I look forward to documenting some of the dissertation process here.