Members of the Bison Student Veterans chapter attended the Student Veterans of America national convention. The delegation included (from left) Devon Patton, Brennan Lemar, Katherine "K.K." Swinland and Beatrice Jaszczak.
Members of the Bison Student Veterans chapter recently attended the Student Veterans of America national convention. It was the first-ever delegation from NDSU’s chapter.
The organization’s 15th annual national conference was held Jan. 5-7 at Disney's Coronado Springs Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. Its theme was “On the shoulders of giants.”
Leading the NDSU delegation was BSV president Devon Patton, a senior electrical engineering major and U.S. Marine Corps veteran. Other attendees included BSV vice president Brennan Lemar, a senior biological sciences major currently serving in the North Dakota Air National Guard; Beatrice Jaszczak, a junior majoring in natural resources management and a U.S. Navy veteran; and sophomore marketing major Katherine “K.K.” Swinland, an Army veteran.
“It was such a personal experience for veterans from every background imaginable,” Swinland said. “It's not every day that there is an opportunity for such a small demographic to feel so included and thought of.”
Swinland served in the U.S Army’s 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division. She said the conference included seminars on a wide range of topics of interest to student veterans.
“Younger student veterans could attend informative sessions that covered how to transition better to life post-military and the students further into their education could use the networking aspects to find future jobs or possible internships with prospective companies,” Swinland said. “Overall, I would highly suggest this trip to any future members of the Bison Student Veterans.”
The conference is the largest gathering of student veterans in the world. With SVA chapters at more than 1,500 campuses across the U.S., the national conference is a focal point during the academic year to share ideas and network with other student veterans and corporate, government and nonprofit partners.
As a student-focused, land-grant, research university, we serve our citizens.
