ATLANTA- Victoria Stevens is a trailblazer when it comes to assisting students, who are military veterans, overcome the struggles of being a non-traditional student on campus. 

Stevens wears many hats at Georgia State. She works in the University Advisement Center as a military advisor, where she advises students in the College of Arts and Science. If a veteran or dependent comes in looking for answers pertaining to questions about benefits or how to fill out the department’s ROTC form and the advisor is unsure about something, they direct them her way. 

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Stevens also serves on the military outreach committee to help make student veterans’ experience on campus more pleasant and memorable. She was invited to the committee six months ago because of her hard work as an undergraduate. She created a climate survey on veterans needs and impressed the committee well enough to get her a seat at the table. 

“I love the military, I love veterans and I love working for veterans and helping them,” Stevens said.

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In addition, Stevens works closely with the Veterans Affairs (VA) certified officials at Georgia State inside the registrar’s office. These individuals certify anyone who has VA benefits. As an advisor, her goal is to get them registered with the right classes as soon as possible. The quicker they register, the sooner they can get their benefits verified.

A common issue that veterans face coming to college is the age difference between them and traditional students. It makes it harder for them to find their place at Georgia State. That’s where Stevens comes in to show them the positive impact they could make, regardless of their background, and help them understand their role on campus. 

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“I think that’s really important. I found something I could connect with and be passionate about while I was [a] student here,” Stevens said.

If anything, mature and older veteran students can help guide the freshmen coming in by sharing life experiences and being open to helping them learn about different things. It’s beneficial to any student who comes through college to have someone to talk to or know of someone that they can go to for help. 

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Moreover, Stevens has been working diligently to try to get military credit applied at Georgia State because they currently do not accept it. Veterans only receive three years worth of benefits and it normally takes about four years to complete a degree program. By accepting the credit, it would make it more feasible for veterans to finish within the 36 month time frame. 

Stevens was born in College Station, Texas. She started in the Army National Guard as a military police officer, but she didn’t complete her full four years. In 2012, she graduated from Georgia State with a bachelors in history. 

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“I was that non-traditional student as well which I think is why I have a passion for working with a non-traditional population as well,” Stevens said.

Georgia State University has been ranked the No. 1 Military Friendly® tier-1 research institution in the nation for the 2022-2023 school year, committed to supporting military-connected students through the development and implementation of outreach programs and services, and No. 6 in the nation by Military Times Best for Vets: Colleges for 2021. To learn more about how Georgia State is supporting military-connected students and meeting the unique needs and challenges of today’s military community, please visit Military Outreach.