By Sherry DiBari
Senior Krista 黑雁 and Junior Katherine 马丁内斯, who started at Old Dominion University this fall, were among 48 students selected nationwide for G.I. Jobs 2020 Inaugural Student Veteran Leadership Awards.
The magazine announced the winners in its August 问题, 注意到这些被选中的人“在学术上表现优异，并为学校做出了有意义的贡献”, fellow student veterans and the community."
黑雁, a Navy veteran, 预备役, military spouse and mother, 在ODU军事连接中心(MCC)广为人知。. 她在退伍军人管理局(VA)勤工俭学工作了两年，今年1月被聘为行政助理.
在做了11年海军核电子技术员之后, 黑雁 felt she needed to make a change.
“我经历了很多任何人都不应该经历的事情，”她说. "There was a lot of sexism, a lot of harassment."
她决定离开海军，转到海军预备队.
“我仍然想找到一种方式继续我的服务，并可能从军队退休, but in a slightly lesser capacity," 黑雁 said. “在军队服役对我来说仍然意义重大，这是我身份的一部分."
黑雁, stationed in Norfolk at the time, 他在ODU注册，并努力寻找校园里提供的每一种资源.
“幸运的是, that included finding the 军事 Connection Center," 黑雁 said, noting that the MCC provided information and guidance. "Since I'm a first-generation student, 我甚至不知道申请大学的很多基本事项."
布兰特一直活跃在校园里的军事和非军事组织.
她自愿加入了退伍军人教育同伴顾问(PAVE)，并最终成为了一个团队的领导者. PAVE将即将到来的退伍军人与经过同伴顾问培训的退伍军人学生联系起来.
“我们真的想确保校园里的退伍军人能够适应学校的生活, because it is different," 黑雁 said. “你将从一个非常有组织的军事环境进入一个非常无组织的大学环境. That transition can be challenging for lots of reasons."
布兰特还曾担任ODU美国学生退伍军人分会(SVA)的副主席一年半. With the SVA, she lobbied in Washington, D.C.他呼吁修改立法，以帮助退伍军人学生和军人社区.
“与校园里的军事联系中心和美国退伍军人学生协会建立联系对我来说真的是一件大事," 黑雁 said. “它给了我离开军队时所缺少的归属感."
布兰特还创立了SALUTE退伍军人国家荣誉协会的ODU分会, 哪些机构认可军人的学术成就, and the Tri-Alpha National Honor Society, which is specifically for first-generation students.
“任何在大学里面临挑战的学生，只要他们取得了令人难以置信的成功，都需要得到认可," 黑雁 said.
黑雁, 主修职业和技术研究，并接受专业培训, 也是双辅修妇女研究和社会学外加多样性证书吗.
“我想在一个重视多样性的组织工作, and they want all of their employees to belong there," 黑雁 said.
马丁内斯 is just getting started at ODU.
当她被提名该奖项时，她是潮水社区学院的一名学生. 毕业后，她在ODU攻读社会学和刑事司法双学位.
马丁内斯, a California native, joined the Navy in 2015 and was stationed in Norfolk, 在温斯顿·丘吉尔号上担任二等士官.
在TCC，马丁内斯加入了美国学生退伍军人分会，并最终担任主席.
“我一直喜欢帮助别人，知道现役军人可以获得哪些资源," 马丁内斯 said. "So, 我想继续这样做，加入一个老兵组织，这样可以让我进一步帮助别人."
社区 service is an important part of 马丁内斯's life.
“我只能假设，每个人都曾经想做点什么，或者想帮助别人，但不知道怎么做," she said.
For the past three years, 她帮助组织并领导了美国预防自杀基金会的弗吉尼亚海滩走出黑暗之旅.
马丁内斯, who lost a mentor, Senior Chief Petty Officer Sue Eisinger, to suicide, also serves as a counselor on the Crisis Text Line.
马丁内斯说:“我把它放在心上，接受教育，了解可用的资源。. “对我来说，重要的是让每个人都知道他们并不孤单, and it's OK to reach out for help."
马丁内斯 will continue her service at ODU, 担任ODU SVA分会的社区外展官员.
马丁内斯选择ODU是因为她觉得它为退伍军人提供了一个很好的支持系统, especially with navigating military benefits and paperwork.
"Being able to go to a school that knew what to do with me, 基本上给了我很大的信心，让我想来ODU," she said.
马丁内斯希望成为联邦政府的犯罪数据分析师.
"I want to understand why people do the things that they do, 但也可以利用这些信息来创建社区项目，将社区发生犯罪的风险降至最低," she said.
