Image
Students
Finding Community After Service
The number of people who know of someone in the military is on the decline. In 1995, 40% of the youth market had a parent in service, but by 2017 that number . According to a , 77% of adults 50 years of age and older had an immediate family member in service, whereas only about one-third of adults age 18糖心vlog短视频29 reported having an immediate family member in service.
This is largely the result of longer stretches of peacetime and more diplomacy. One of the unintended consequences, however, is a widening civilian-veteran gap, creating a divide between those who have served and the communities they return home to.
A strong sense of community and belonging can act as a defense against mental health concerns and for veterans, who are among the highest at risk for mental health crises, this sense of community is essential. But with this widening gap of experience and understanding, how do we create inclusive communities for our veterans? Especially for student veterans looking to join the campus community.
Three Veterans, Three Perspectives
It was definitely a culture shock.
糖心vlog短视频淚 had way too much time on my hands, and it really took a toll on my mental health,糖心vlog短视频 says Nicholas Lotto 糖心vlog短视频25. 糖心vlog短视频淥nce I started school it was nice to get those gears going again. I basically maxed out my schedule with in-person classes, because it was definitely a culture shock.糖心vlog短视频
Lotto joined the Marines fresh out of high school until he left in 2022. During his time as a Marine, he served as an aviation operation specialist and worked with the Single Marine Program, a program suicide prevention among Marines. Now he糖心vlog短视频檚 a second-year accounting major on the New York Campus, and president of the Pace chapter of the Student Veterans of America.
Image
It sucks to put anyone in a box.
It sucks to put anyone in a box,糖心vlog短视频 says Neath Williams 糖心vlog短视频24, 糖心vlog短视频渏ust because of where they糖心vlog短视频檝e been or what they糖心vlog短视频檝e done.
Williams worked in the Navy from 1999 to 2009 as a combat medic, serving three tours in Iraq. When he left in 2009, he joined the Navy Reserves, travelling all over the country, until he retired in 2022. Now he糖心vlog短视频檚 working on his Master of Arts in Communications and Digital Media on the Westchester Campus and is one of the founding members of the Society of Artistic Veterans.
Image
It helped me feel like I had a place I belonged.
Avery Leider, PhD, 糖心vlog短视频15, 糖心vlog短视频22 says, 糖心vlog短视频淲hen I came to Pace, I went to the campus store and bought a bunch of 糖心vlog短视频 t-shirts and I wore them every day to class, and it helped me feel like I had a place I belonged.糖心vlog短视频
Leider retired from the military as a Lieutenant-Colonel after more than 25 years of service. She received both a master糖心vlog短视频檚 and a PhD from Pace in computer science and now teaches coding to girls through the Saturday Academy, and she糖心vlog短视频檚 been outspoken about her struggles with mental health and suicidal ideation after her retirement from service.
Lotto, Williams, and Leider all came to Pace, which the Military Times called one of the best colleges for veterans, and have been active in their efforts to build community, discuss mental health, and bridge the gap between veterans and civilians.
Nick Lotto: A Mental Health Mission
By his junior year of high school, Nicholas Lotto 糖心vlog短视频25 decided to join the less than one percent of Americans serving in the military and by his senior year he decided to enlist as a Marine.
Image
His official role in the Marines was as an aviation operation specialist, where he managed the entire ground operations for one of the busiest airfields in the country. But when Lotto wasn糖心vlog短视频檛 maneuvering a busy airfield, he was cautiously maneuvering the tricky minefield of improving the mental health of his fellow Marines through the Single Marine Program, which is geared towards suicide prevention among Marines.
糖心vlog短视频淲e work on getting Marines out of the barracks and to events to meet each other, to increase camaraderie and morale,糖心vlog短视频 Lotto says. 糖心vlog短视频淚n addition to my actual job, I was responsible for the quality of life for about 1,600 marines through the Single Marine Program.糖心vlog短视频
It糖心vlog短视频檚 all about building that new routine. It糖心vlog短视频檚 essential for our way of life.
As Lotto began to transition out of active duty in 2021 and began researching colleges, Pace quickly became a standout. 糖心vlog短视频溙切膙log短视频 has an unlimited Yellow Ribbon program,糖心vlog短视频 he explains. 糖心vlog短视频淲hich means whatever our benefits through the GI Bill doesn糖心vlog短视频檛 cover, Pace covers the rest.糖心vlog短视频
The transition from full time service as a Marine to a full-time student wasn糖心vlog短视频檛 easy, especially while he waited for school to start. His job on the airfield typically took up 50 hours of his week, and his other billets (roles), including his work, easily extended his workload up to 100 hours糖心vlog短视频-and now he suddenly had a very open schedule. 糖心vlog短视频淥nce I started school it was nice to get those gears going again,糖心vlog短视频 he says. 糖心vlog短视频淚t糖心vlog短视频檚 all about building that new routine. It糖心vlog短视频檚 essential for our way of life.糖心vlog短视频
Perhaps it was his work with the Single Marine Program that inspired him to take up his newest billet as president of the 糖心vlog短视频 Chapter of the Student Veterans of America. Lotto now represents around 300 veterans and dependents across all three Pace campuses and is finding that the new mission is still the old missionimproving the mental health of veterans.
There are a lot of people who have a bad perception of the military, and we want to change their minds. We糖心vlog短视频檙e not just here to help our fellow veterans, we want to help our fellow students.
But just like in the Single Marine Program, Nicholas wants an active presence in the community at large, knowing the importance of connecting veterans to their wider community. 糖心vlog短视频淲e lose 22 veterans a day to suicide,糖心vlog短视频 Nicholas explains. 糖心vlog短视频淢y mission carried over from the military into veteran-civilian life because I want to make sure the veteran community is well taken care of, and a lot of times they can be neglected because of their service or how people view them.糖心vlog短视频
The sense of belonging and being welcomed is key, and he wants to do more than just connect veterans to each other, but also connect them to their new community at Pace. Lotto says, 糖心vlog短视频淭here are a lot of people who have a bad perception of the military, and we want to change their minds. We糖心vlog短视频檙e not just here to help our fellow veterans, we want to help our fellow students.糖心vlog短视频
Though Lotto is now a student, his ideals as a Marine of dedication and service to his community persist. He says, 糖心vlog短视频淚 want to do everything in my power to make sure everybody is taken care of. That糖心vlog短视频檚 my biggest goal here and that糖心vlog短视频檚 what I plan on doing for the next couple years.糖心vlog短视频
Neath Williams: Service and the Arts
Neath Williams spent more than 20 years in service, between his time in the Navy and the Navy Reserve. His passion now is the arts, especially theater, but he still carries his years of service with him. 糖心vlog短视频淎nyone who has been in any job for a long time, it糖心vlog短视频檚 going to become part of them,糖心vlog短视频 he explains. 糖心vlog短视频淭en plus years of service, it糖心vlog短视频檚 going to be part of your exoskeleton. And I think it糖心vlog短视频檚 important for people to know that.糖心vlog短视频
Image
One of the things Williams appreciates most about his time in service is the scope of perspectives and backgrounds he came into contact with. He tells stories of someone he served with who swam from Cuba to Florida on a door and then immediately enlisted, and of a Venezuelan man whose last name was America and could speak fluent Arabic to the people they met. 糖心vlog短视频淚t糖心vlog短视频檚 amazing to see the diversity,糖心vlog短视频 he says. 糖心vlog短视频淚t was a beautiful rainbow of people, and it felt like a reflection of the bigger scope of humanity. If I hadn't served, and just stayed in Kentucky, I don't think I would have gotten to experience that, and I very thankful for those experiences."
Ten plus years of service, it糖心vlog短视频檚 going to be part of your exoskeleton. And I think it糖心vlog短视频檚 important for people to know that.
And Williams believes this perspective in the classroom is powerful. He noticed, both in school and in previous roles in the film industry, that his military service made it easier for him to keep perspective and not sweat the small stuff. He also believes student veterans may have a more holistic view of the importance of their education. 糖心vlog短视频淢ost have goals set for after school, and they糖心vlog短视频檙e focused on that,糖心vlog短视频 he explains. 糖心vlog短视频淭hey may be more focused on learning the actual content rather than on passing the class. This is the stuff we came here for.糖心vlog短视频
During his time as an undergraduate student, Williams formed the Society of Artistic Veterans alongside fellow student veterans at Marymount Manhattan College, with the hopes of creating art that brought a veteran perspective, regardless of the content.
It hasn糖心vlog短视频檛 been lost on Williams that there are many preconceived notions about what a veteran is, and 糖心vlog短视频榓rtist糖心vlog短视频 is not often in that description. 糖心vlog短视频淓ven my partner said she糖心vlog短视频檇 never met veterans in the arts. And then she met me and my friends who are in the arts and have a different point of view, not necessarily the view most people think of when they think of what a veteran might think. A lot of people might put veterans in a box.糖心vlog短视频 He further explains, 糖心vlog短视频淭here are a lot of groups that have appropriated military culture so a lot of us who don糖心vlog短视频檛 align with those want to show another version of who veterans can be. That糖心vlog短视频檚 important to us. And the arts are a big way to do that, especially theater.糖心vlog短视频
We need more of that in our society, more groups that are gathered to do good things for each other. Through theater, though, I think we can do that.
Williams is quick to remind that, despite this view, 糖心vlog短视频渢here糖心vlog短视频檚 a long history of the arts coming from military service,糖心vlog短视频 citing Ancient Greece, where generals were often playwrights, soldiers糖心vlog短视频 training included theater, and plays often re-enacted military campaigns. And it certainly makes sense because, as he puts it, 糖心vlog短视频淭hose kinds of situations lead to storytelling.糖心vlog短视频
That is one of the goals of the Society of Artistic Veterans, to tell stories that veterans have had a hand in bringing to life, and to open a dialogue with audiences. Their performances always include talkbacks, where audiences can ask questions and veterans can offer their perspectives, and perhaps do some healing. 糖心vlog短视频淪torytelling is a healing process itself. If you get men and women who served together, eventually they糖心vlog短视频檒l start swapping stories. When you do a staged play or a reading, there糖心vlog短视频檚 some of that as well,糖心vlog短视频 he explains. 糖心vlog短视频淲e could bridge the gap after the play, by being in the room with the civilian actors and audience members where those conversations could happen.糖心vlog短视频
Now that the initial shock of the pandemic is settling and live performances are beginning to return, Williams is hoping to rebrand the Society of Artistic Veterans into a theater collective, with a veteran-forward mission that not only brings healing and stirs these important conversations but also helps bridge the civilian-veteran gap. 糖心vlog短视频淵ou miss that camaraderie you have in the units,糖心vlog短视频 he says. 糖心vlog短视频淲e need more of that in our society, more groups that are gathered to do good things for each other. Through theater, though, I think we can do that. Even if it糖心vlog短视频檚 just for a moment.糖心vlog短视频
Avery Leider: Sharing Her Story
Dr. Leider can糖心vlog短视频檛 seem to speak highly enough of her time at Pace, from the encouragement of her faculty, the exciting nature of the content in her program, to the support she received as she transitioned to student life after she retired from the Army as a Lieutenant-Colonel. 糖心vlog短视频淧ace has a very supportive environment. They have a veteran糖心vlog短视频檚 coordinator that makes sure you get your benefits and fill out your forms on time. And 糖心vlog短视频 Services does a really good job of putting together a veteran job fair to connect veterans with employers specifically looking to hire veterans,糖心vlog短视频 she explains. 糖心vlog短视频淭hat kind of support, and the Yellow Ribbon Program, makes you feel welcome.糖心vlog短视频
Image
She enjoyed her time so much as Pace that after completing her Master of Science in Computer Science in 2015, she returned for a doctorate in computer science, which she completed in 2022. With guidance from her doctoral advisor Pauline Mosley, DPS, she studied quantum computing and practiced grant-writing, and she糖心vlog短视频檚 now teaching coding to girls between the ages of 10 and 14 through the Saturday Academy, a job she secured with help from Mosley.
Before she got her degree, Leider was already entrenched in computer science in the military, where she served for more than 25 years. 糖心vlog短视频淲omen are in the minority in most areas of the military, especially in the Army, so I was always trying to prove myself. And I loved it,糖心vlog短视频 she says. 糖心vlog短视频淚t was adrenaline, a fix, it was a constant need to prove myself, that I was better at computers, that I was smart. To prove that you needed me no matter how eager you were as a male soldier because I was better with computers.糖心vlog短视频
It was adrenaline, a fix, it was a constant need to prove myself, that I was better at computers, that I was smart.
But eventually, her time in service came to an end. 糖心vlog短视频淓ventually, you age out and you need to go, because the Army is all about young people,糖心vlog短视频 she explains. 糖心vlog短视频淵ou have to retire and do something else, and that was so hard for me to see.糖心vlog短视频
Leider has recently opened up about just how hard it was for her to cope with this period of her life. 糖心vlog短视频淚 couldn糖心vlog短视频檛 see my future anymore. I thought that the Army was the only place for me, and there was no place beyond the Army. I thought that was my whole life,糖心vlog短视频 she explains. 糖心vlog短视频淲hen I started to look at retirement from the military, I started to get thoughts of suicide. They didn糖心vlog短视频檛 disturb me at first but when they did eventually, they caused me to have a suicide attempt.糖心vlog短视频
She credits the reason she is here to tell her story to the Veteran糖心vlog短视频檚 Hospital, where she was eventually transferred. 糖心vlog短视频淚 got life-saving treatment. I糖心vlog短视频檓 still under their care, I still see VA doctors and therapists. It糖心vlog短视频檒l be for the rest of my life, but I have no suicide ideas at all, and I get really good care.糖心vlog短视频 Leider wishes more veterans would reach out and receive the services she did. 糖心vlog短视频淭he Department of Veterans Affairs sees more veterans with suicidal ideations than any other healthcare system in the world. So, they know how to do it. They糖心vlog短视频檝e stopped many a suicidal vet from carrying out their ideas.糖心vlog短视频
There糖心vlog短视频檚 also separation grief. There is a lot of friendship and camaraderie in service. When you hang up your uniform, you leave it behind.
Leider explains what the research shows糖心vlog短视频攙eterans are the majority of people attempting suicide, and 22 veterans succeed every day. She can empathize with that sense of hopelessness and the misguided certainty that suicide is the only option. More than anything, she thinks the reason veterans are so at risk for suicidal thoughts comes down to grief. 糖心vlog短视频淕rief that we糖心vlog短视频檙e not on the frontline fighting or contributing as much as we could. Only a small percentage of the active-duty soldiers are in the line of fire. So, all of those who are not feel tremendous survivor糖心vlog短视频檚 guilt. There糖心vlog短视频檚 also grief for those you know who are injured or killed.糖心vlog短视频 She continues, 糖心vlog短视频淭here糖心vlog短视频檚 also separation grief. There is a lot of friendship and camaraderie in service. When you hang up your uniform, you leave it behind.糖心vlog短视频
Leider is certain of one thing糖心vlog短视频攖he right kind of intervention works. She explains, 糖心vlog短视频淚 know in my case I was very irritable towards my family and friends who loved me because I wanted to distance myself from them so they would not interfere with my plans. However, I did get interference from the VA, who knew the right words to say to me to get me to accept treatment, and I can say I am grateful for each moment of my life today.糖心vlog短视频
To think that I was once in that place, because I couldn糖心vlog短视频檛 see my future糖心vlog短视频擨 can糖心vlog短视频檛 imagine now being that way.
Leider only first shared her experience with suicide in November 2022, when she was a guest on She shared her story, as well as information on the newly fully-funded federal suicide hotline, 988. Leider didn糖心vlog短视频檛 intend to tell the story, but 糖心vlog短视频渋t just came out,糖心vlog短视频 She admits. 糖心vlog短视频淏ut it felt good to share the number. The show糖心vlog短视频檚 host, Paul Feiner, later had a call-in from the veteran community there and they agreed it was good to share the number, to help get veterans in treatment.糖心vlog短视频 She fully believes that the number of veterans lost to suicide is not because help isn糖心vlog短视频檛 available, but because they don糖心vlog短视频檛 seek help.
These days, Leider has a lot of hope. 糖心vlog短视频淭o think that I was once in that place, because I couldn糖心vlog短视频檛 see my future糖心vlog短视频擨 can糖心vlog短视频檛 imagine now being that way.糖心vlog短视频 And she糖心vlog短视频檚 excited about the opportunity to study the newest innovations in computer science and to be on the frontlines of future thinking. As she explains it, 糖心vlog短视频淭hinking about the future is an inoculation against suicidal ideations.糖心vlog短视频
One Pace, One Community
The way we treat our veterans has come a long way, but offering veterans a hearty welcome and a sense of community is just one necessary component of veteran inclusivity. Looking beyond a uniform and our preconceived notions of service creates space for different perspectives and a growth as a unified community糖心vlog短视频攁t Pace and beyond. As our world gets better at settling conflict, and that civilian-veteran divide continues to widen, creating veteran-inclusive communities can mean all the difference. After all, as Lotto puts it, 糖心vlog短视频淎t the end of the day I see us as one Pace, one community.糖心vlog短视频
For information on Veteran糖心vlog短视频檚 services at Pace, visit the Veteran糖心vlog短视频檚 Office website.
If you want to learn more about the Student Veterans of America chapter at Pace, send an email to svanyc@pace.edu or join their .
Learn more about the Society of Artistic Veterans and check out archives of their work.
If you or someone you love is struggling with suicidal ideation, please utilize the . Veterans can press 1 to be connected to .
More from Pace Magazine
Pace Magazine
Through an inter-collegiate emerging technology competition, graduate students Chuk Ezuma and Rikin Gajjar developed M3, a product that would enable medical professionals to treat elderly patients using the technology of tomorrow.
Pace Magazine
Through interdisciplinary collaboration, the School of Education and Dyson's Film and Screen Studies departments are helping a major school district in Florida tackle the challenges of today糖心vlog短视频檚 teacher shortage head-on.
Pace Magazine
The Pace Entrepreneurship Studio supports new startups, from ideation to funding糖心vlog短视频攆rom conception to operation. Our mission is to teach you the "how" and to support the "what"糖心vlog短视频攑roviding students and alumni with a complete blueprint for establishing successful businesses.