From Marine Corps to Campus

Veteran and student Nicole Bailey started a campus organization for veterans to provide connections and camaraderie for the Southeastern military community.

Nicole BaileyNicole Bailey is a first semester student, but her experience is probably very different from many incoming freshman. To start, she finished high school years ago, and has been serving her country in the U.S. Marines for the past seven years.  When she started at Southeastern, she was pleasantly surprised at the support offered to veteran students, but she knew she wanted to do more to help veterans on campus connect with each other.

 

Nicole originally considered the military as an option to help her pay for her education. After joining the Marines, she found she absolutely loved it and completed two enlistments. Her first was as active duty personnel for the Marine Forces Reserve in Algiers, Louisiana, where she served as a law clerk. In 2012, she was stationed at Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville, North Carolina and worked as a court reporter.

Nicole earned two Marine Corps Marksmanship Qualification Badges during her service: rifle expert and pistol marksman. She probably spent a lot of time in the field to achieve those distinctions - in fact, she met her future husband David on the rifle range! The couple have been married for four years. Nicole medically retired from the Marines last October with the rank of Sergeant. Originally from Michigan, she relocated with her husband to Ponchatoula last December. She knew the next step in her journey would be working on a bachelor's degree in business.

Nicole applied to Southeastern through the Veterans Upward Bound program at Southeastern and found the process very streamlined and easy. Once she was enrolled, the Office of Veterans Services provided assistance with things like registration, military benefits, academic counseling and financial aid. Also, Nicole was able to participate in a special veteran-specific version of Southeastern’s 101 class that all freshmen take to help ensure first-year student success.

The support programs in place helped to ease her from military life to student life. However, she knew from talking to other members of the military community that one of the things they miss most when they leave service is the camaraderie. “It can sometimes be a bit lonely as a veteran in college - we have different experiences and needs than traditional students,” says Nicole. “Often, we are older than our classmates and are at a different place in our lives, making it harder to connect.”

Nicole wants to provide more opportunities for that camaraderie. She has launched a new campus organization with the help of Southeastern student and military spouse Ashley Curry. The Southeastern Student Veterans & Military Interest Association is open to all students, faculty and staff who are veterans, reservists, or dependents - which includes spouses and children. The group is also open to Southeastern's ROTC participants (many of whom are also reservists) and students enrolled at Northshore Technical Community College, as a continuing part of the schools’ Connect to Success partnership. 

The main goals of the organization are to:

  • Help the school administration better understand and meet the needs of veterans
  • Offer advice from experience to incoming veterans
  • Help civilians better understand the military experience
  • Provide opportunities for veterans to meet one another and connect

Group members will also benefit from resources from the National Student veterans of America organization.

The group meets every two weeks and already has planned several social outings, including trips to the World War II Museum in New Orleans and the USS Kidd in Baton Rouge, as well as a fundraiser for Wreaths Across America to lay wreaths at the National Cemetery in Slidell.

Nicole is thrilled to be able to supplement Southeastern’s academic resources for veterans with a group to provide social support. “It can sometimes be harder for us to get involved in campus events because by the time we come to school, many of us have families and children. Also, many veterans I know aren't originally from this area,” explains Nicole. “This group hopes to provide a way for veterans to make friends and enjoy family-based fun events.”

Southeastern has more than 400 veterans, reservists or dependents students currently on the Post 9/11 G.I. Bill of Rights. The University has been recognized by GI Jobs Magazine for being a Military Friendly School for the past four years, earning the distinction for its commitment to providing a supportive environment for military students.

Southeastern Student Veterans & Military Interest Association is open to veterans, reservists, spouses, dependents, and ROTC participants at both Southeastern and Northshore Technical Community College. For more information or to join, email ssvmia@southeastern.edu.

For more information on resources available to veterans and dependents enrolled at Southeastern, call (985) 549-5041 or visit the Office of Veterans Services website.