“The University of New Mexico PAVE team takes a thorough and dedicated approach to supporting their military-affiliated students, even completing a needs assessment at the start of the term. This tailored approach to support and the steady outreach they perform exemplifies their commitment to the well-being of the military-affiliated students they serve,” says Emma Czajka, PAVE Program Coordinator.
The University of New Mexico has between 800 and 1200 military-affiliated students enrolled at the university and is serving 512 military-affiliated students with PAVE this term. The PAVE team includes Veteran Services Coordinator Jesse Preciado, Team Leaders Melissa Gavin and Samantha Griswold, and nine Peer Advisors.
The UNM PAVE team tailors its approach to serving military-affiliated students each semester, based on a needs assessment they conduct as students enroll. While they are still working through the needs assessment process for this term, they are already taking steps to accommodate the requests they’ve received, such as planning workshops around resume writing and getting a government job or holding social events. PAVE at UNM is integrated into the wider support services they offer on campus. According to Melissa, this is one of the reasons that PAVE is making a positive impact on campus, because “it’s another tool in the toolbox for people.”
The UNM PAVE team continues to make a positive difference for many of the students they serve. Jesse shared one story of a student veteran who was on the verge of dropping out, but their Peer Advisor helped them, and the student ended up “staying in school, graduating, and before they graduated, they ended up becoming a Peer Advisor themselves.”
The UNM PAVE team exemplifies a steadfast and eager approach to supporting their military-affiliated students, and that effort is met in kind. Students who have benefitted from the program are “very enthusiastic and very excited” about the support they have received, according to Jesse.
Keep up the great work, UNM PAVE team!