From Nate Easton, Veteran Services Coordinator, Chemeketa Community College: “Robert is an outstanding mentor and motivational presence within the PAVE office. No matter what task is sent his way, Robert faces them head on and always tries to get other students involved. As a Team Leader Robert is responsible for submitting the biweekly reports and assigning the unassigned logs within the PAVE database. Beyond that, he holds the most interaction logs of any Peer Advisor we have ever employed. From tutoring students in Math and Computer science, to helping the veterans navigate the labyrinth of the internet, or creating a system to track our inventory, with Robert on the team, we know the student veterans here at Chemeketa will be well taken care of.”

From Graham Preston: “My favorite part about being a PAVE Team Leader is sharing knowledge, stories, and experiences between my team and our student veterans (SVs). Through our collaboration and teamwork, we’ve built a robust base of information and contacts for resources. It brings me joy knowing the role I play in building this network of support!

I’m proudest of the VRC culture my team and I have built. Our Peer Advisors use deep knowledge and personal experience to create a welcoming hub for SVs and their families. Even as students come and go, the connections they make here persist. We even plan to help one of our colleagues establish a new PAVE partner program when they transfer next term so our community keeps growing!”