“The Chemeketa Community College PAVE team has maintained a consistent and effective effort to provide support and resources to their student veterans. They’ve held creative events and successfully engaged in many outreach efforts. The team consistently demonstrates their care and dedication to each other and the students they serve,” says Emma Czajka, PAVE Program Coordinator.

The Chemeketa PAVE team compromises five Peer Advisors, two Team Leaders, Benito Flores and Christopher Scott, and two Veterans Services Coordinators, Nathaniel Easton and Angela Archer. Together, the team works to support over 300 military-affiliated students.

The team has shown impressive growth since they began the program, increasing from a team of three PAs and TLs serving around 150 military-affiliated students to a team with seven PAs and TLs and two support staff serving over twice the number of students. Additionally, they started their own SVA chapter in Summer 2024 to expand the support they offer their military-affiliated students.

One of the key ways they provide support is through their Veterans Resource Center, a place that has become “the creation of the melting pot of all the branches being able to come together at once and actually share stories,” says Peer Advisor Dick Basl. According to Peer Advisor Robert Preston, “sometimes making that transition from military life to campus life can just be difficult for some people more than others, and so, having the space where they can come, talk to other veterans is helpful.”

More than just being essential to have, the sense of camaraderie offered by the PAVE team has driven engagement from students. Nathaniel Easton commented, “In the last couple of years, we’ve gone from five or six students on average per day to now we get up to twenty to twenty-five students frequenting the office,” an increase that has also been reflected in their team’s events and engagement.

The Chemeketa Community College PAVE team has created a supportive and resource-rich environment for the military-affiliated students to thrive. Peer Advisor Mike Kelly said, “They’ve been trying to make this a space for all military-connected students and making sure they know that they have a place on campus where there are people who understand what you’ve been through.” That dedication to community and support is commendable and has had a positive impact on the military-affiliated community.

Keep up the excellent work, Chemeketa Community College PAVE team!