Student Veterans of America and VFW Announce 2017 Class of Legislative Fellows
WASHINGTON, D.C. (January 6, 2017) — Ten outstanding student veterans have been named to the 2017 class of the VFW-SVA Legislative Fellowship. The fellows were announced during Student Veterans of America’s 9th Annual National Conference in Anaheim, California.
This year’s fellows will travel to Washington, D.C., from February 26 to March 2 to join more than 500 members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) for the annual VFW Legislative Conference. While in the nation’s capital, fellows will advocate on behalf of all veterans, service members, and their families by meeting with members of Congress, federal agencies, and national veteran organizations.
.
The VFW-SVA Legislative Fellowship is a semester-long academic experience that challenges student veterans to research and develop policy proposals on one of four key areas: success in higher education, transition to civilian life, the civilian workforce, or the future of veterans’ healthcare. Each fellow was selected based on a competitive application that included a written proposal and demonstrated passion for policy advocacy. In 2016, four fellows earned academic credit for their work—an achievement both organizations aim to expand in the 2017 cycle.
.
Fellows will be paired with VFW mentors during their time in Washington and will accompany their state delegations to Capitol Hill for legislative meetings. In addition to legislative advocacy training, they will receive briefings from policy experts and participate in media training to prepare for long-term advocacy beyond the conference. Each fellow will also execute a community action plan in their local area, ensuring that their policy work has lasting impact.
The 2017 VFW-SVA Legislative Fellows are:
- Matthew Carbonelli, Army veteran – University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee
- Samuel Casey, Army veteran – Coastal Carolina University
- Jayson Hoffman, Army veteran – University of Illinois–Springfield
- Juwell McClendon, Navy veteran – Radford University
- Ryan McKibben, Army veteran – Florida State University
- Lisa Payan, Army veteran – Marylhurst University
- Krista Schultz, Army veteran – Eastern Washington University
- Wesley Stiner, Marine Corps veteran – University of Arizona
- Ryan Taylor, Marine Corps veteran – Florida State University
- Karthik Venkatraj, Army veteran – University of Colorado
.
The VFW-SVA Legislative Fellowship is part of an ongoing collaboration between the VFW and SVA, formalized in 2013 through a memorandum of understanding. The partnership continues to empower student veterans as changemakers and national leaders.
For media inquiries, please contact SVA at [email protected].
.
About Student Veterans of America
With a focused mission on empowering student veterans, Student Veterans of America® (SVA) is committed to providing an educational experience that goes beyond the classroom. Through a dedicated network of over 1,600 on-campus chapters in all 50 states and 4 countries representing nearly 600,000 student veterans, SVA aims to inspire yesterday’s warriors by connecting student veterans with a community of like-minded chapter leaders. Every day these passionate leaders work to provide the necessary resources, network support, and advocacy to ensure student veterans can effectively connect, expand their skills, and ultimately achieve their greatest potential. For more information, visit us at www.studentveterans.org.
About the VFW
The Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S. is the nation’s largest and oldest major war veterans organization. Founded in 1899, the congressionally chartered VFW is comprised entirely of eligible veterans and military service members from the active, Guard and Reserve forces. With more than 1.5 million VFW and Auxiliary members located in over 6,000 Posts worldwide, the nonprofit veterans service organization is proud to proclaim “NO ONE DOES MORE FOR VETERANS” than the VFW, which is dedicated to veterans’ service, legislative advocacy, and military and community service programs. For more information, or to join, visit our website at vfw.org.
.