When Ryan Cody transferred to the University of Missouri–St. Louis, he called the UMSL Veterans Center once a week for three weeks in a row. Cody wanted to be certain that his GI Bill benefits for serving in the Army National Guard were approved and everything was in order. “Each time they’re like, ‘Don’t worry, man, it’s taken care of. You’re good,’” he said. “I didn’t believe them until I saw my bill was taken care of, and it alleviated so much stress. I knew I could just focus on school.”
The first time he set foot in the Veterans Center, a student worker welcomed him like he had always belonged. The center is part of the Division of Student Affairs and serves as a campus hub where veteran and military-connected students can comfortably gather to study and socialize.
“He jumped up, introduced himself and showed me around,” Cody said. “I got brought into the conversations with other students there, and it felt like a place I fit in.”
Cody quickly threw himself into the Veterans Center – a place where he could be himself and succeed with the support of his fellow veterans. He began his tenure at the center as a student worker and then served as the center’s interim coordinator for about four or five months. When Martina Meng assumed the full-time role as manager of the center in January, he moved into positions as a team lead for student workers and instructor of the first-year experience course for veteran and military-connected students.
