29 years old • Evans
Operations officer at the Northern Colorado Veterans Resource Center
What’s your occupation? Explain your career, accomplishments and professional highlights.
I am the operations officer here at the Northern Colorado Veterans Resource Center (NCVRC). This organization is veteran founded and staffed, and we help veterans from all eras, regardless of where they are at, in navigating resources that are available after military service. My accomplishments are helping our veterans and finding a resolution to their issues.
Tell us about yourself, your history and how you came to be where you are now.
I am a Marine Corps veteran. I come from a long line of military service in my family. My father, grandfather and great-grandfather all served in the U.S. Army. I was born in Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri and have lived in quite a few states. Louisiana is the one where I started and finished high school. I came to live in Colorado because this is where my family is from.
Tell us something unique about you.
I can adapt to any setting pretty quickly. I am also a jack of all trades; before military service, I worked in the healthcare industry at an assisted living facility. While in the Marines, I held billets that were over my pay grade, attended a legal officer course and held a secret security clearance.
What do you consider your biggest accomplishment or challenge you’ve overcome, either professionally or personally?
My biggest accomplishment was becoming a Marine and serving my country with honor. My other accomplishment was joining the NCVRC team and continuing the awesome work of helping veterans accomplish their goals, both personally and professionally, as the center did for me. I am honored to be a part of it.
Where do you see yourself in five years? In 10 years?
In five to 10 years, I see myself earning my business degree with Grand Canyon University and attending Lincoln Tech to learn a trade.
What piece(s) of advice would you give to your younger self?
Stay on the path that you are going down because it is the best path you are on, and you will reap the rewards in a few years. Take the advice of the awesome mentors you will meet in the Marines and at NCVRC.
How has being a Marine Corps veteran helped you help other veterans?
My experience as a veteran has helped me to be reliable and understanding. I know the challenges our veterans face and how to navigate those challenges as I went through them myself. I have contacts in the Marines and can help Marine veterans obtain their records more quickly, get their records fixed if they are missing anything (like awards) and even get a Marine funeral detail assigned to a veteran who passes away. The number one challenge veterans face is finding places that actually fulfill their mission to help veterans. It is disheartening to reach out to places for help with VA benefits, education and employment and to just get passed around. The Northern Colorado Veterans Resource Center is different; they helped me on the spot with navigating all the resources available and even told me about ones I didn’t know about. Now I do the same to help other veterans get the help they need.
Coming from a long line of veterans, what does military service mean to you and your family?
Being a fourth-generation veteran, military service for me and my family means to carry on the tradition of serving our nation. It gives me pride to know that my great-grandfather, grandfather and father all served our country in war and in peace.
Tell us about your volunteer work.
I volunteer my time outside of work with the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), where I served as the past post service officer and now serve as the post adjutant. In this role, I handle communications and administrative tasks, submit reports and record meeting minutes. As VFW post members, we help veterans in our community through fundraisers and events and spread the word about relevant topics in the veteran community.
