Syracuse University’s Student Veterans Organization (SVO) and the Office of Veteran and Military Affairs (OVMA) are presenting five awards to student veterans in honor of their significant and notable achievements. The awards are normally announced at SVO’s Annual Ball and Awards Banquet, but the 2020 event was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the winners were instead announced in a Zoom “virtual lunch.”
News
Military-Connected Student of the Month: Chris Giglio
For many, joining the military is as much a matter of family tradition as it is a commitment to serve. For Syracuse graduate student and third-generation Naval officer Chris Giglio, it was also a matter of building on a personal history.
Army ROTC Cadet Bethany Murphy Named University Scholar
Bethany Murphy, a senior environmental engineering major in the College of Engineering and Computer Science, U.S. Army ROTC Cadet and 2020 Marshall Scholar, has been named a 2020 Syracuse University Scholar. The honor is the highest undergraduate distinction Syracuse University bestows. Murphy is one of just 12 Syracuse University Scholars
Military-Connected Students of the Month: Sharon Otasowie and Alyssa Kozma
This month, the spotlight on military-connected students is on United States Air Force ROTC JAG Cadets Sharon Otasowie L’21 and Alyssa Kozma L’21.
Arturo Sandoval: Marine Corps Veteran and Whitman Graduate Student Named Faigle Family Scholar
Arturo Sandoval, MBA ’23, a six-year veteran of the United States Marine Corps, has been named the most recent recipient of the Gerald B. ’58, ’59 and Roberta M. Faigle ’60 scholarship.
Military-Connected Student of the Month: Kelvin Nyamalor
It’s not every day a student arrives on campus with their whole life tucked away into a single military duffle bag, but for Kelvin Nyamalor, a student veteran at Syracuse University, that was exactly how he arrived.
Hometown Hero: J-R Williams
United States Army Master Sergeant (Retired) Jennifer-Rebeccah “J-R” Williams hails from Pulaski, New York and enlisted in the Army in 1996 as a Broadcast Journalist and Public Affairs Specialist. J-R served 22 and a half years in the Army before retiring from active duty in 2018.
The New Head of the University’s Army ROTC Program: Jennifer Gotie
U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel Jennifer Gotie didn’t grow up envisioning a career in military service. Born and raised in Truxton, New York, she imagined a life for herself as a diplomat and as a result became involved with the Rotary International Exchange Program. The program took her to Belgium, then France and Sicily. Soon, she had fallen in love with language and travel.z
Hometown Hero: Jackie Snow
United States Navy Veteran and Syracuse University employee Jackie Snow hails from Syracuse, New York. Jackie entered the Navy in 1983 out of high school, and she served on active duty for four years. Jackie was stationed for two years at Roosevelt Roads, Puerto Rico and two years at Little Creek Amphibious Base in Virginia Beach.
Continue ReadingNominations Now Open for the 2020 Student Veteran of the Year Award
Syracuse University’s Office of Veteran and Military Affairs (OVMA) takes pride in student-veteran involvement on campus, in the community, and at various events. The value student veterans bring to campus through their many contributions are part of what makes Syracuse University ‘the best place for veterans™.’