Surrounded by Military: Heidi King helps Veteran students succeed

Heidi King has been surrounded by the military her entire life. One of her grandfathers served in World War II, the other in the Korean War. Her uncles fought in Vietnam. Even her husband's grandfather was in the Navy during WWII.

"It was all around us growing up," Heidi says.

As an employee of MSU Moorhead, Heidi now seeks opportunities to engage with those who serve, both as the student relations coordinator for MSUM's College of Arts and Humanities and as a volunteer on the campus' Veterans Service Committee. The committee brings together people of military and non-military backgrounds from the local area to help our Veterans and military-connected students and community succeed. 

Helping these students achieve academic success and accomplish their goals is a passion of Heidi's.

"I really want to give back to that person who served our country," Heidi says. "You go above and beyond for every student, but this is a whole other level. You really want to see them succeed."

In her first role at MSU Moorhead, Heidi worked in the Office of Admissions with readmit and adult learners. In this role, she heard extraordinary stories, such as Veterans who worked in high level positions at the Pentagon and military intelligence and retirees who returned to school to become social studies teachers.  

"Their needs are sometimes very different than a traditional student. They don't come right from high school and their life experiences are a lot different. Being able to connect them with a service that they can utilize is really amazing," she says.

Heidi meets people from all walks of life and can help Veterans decide if they want to continue their military careers with additional education, or if they want to do something completely different. Hearing their stories helps her guide Veterans on their academic journey.

The new students' next step is to meet with Aaron Johnson, Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs representative. Aaron, a Veteran, is a wealth of knowledge on all the education benefits available to Veterans and military-connected students. Aaron is a part of a whole team at MSU Moorhead that helps Veteran and military-connected students succeed.

Heidi often introduces Veteran students to services that they didn't know they needed or even existed. For example, they can spend time with other military-connected students through the Dragon Student Veterans Club and the Veteran Success Center.

  "If they need something more like tutoring or counseling, or certain transcripts or certifications, we can help," Heidi says. "We've got them from start to finish." 

Yellow Ribbon Advance is funded by the US Department of Education, as a Congressionally Directed Spending Award of $2.25 million dollars. Award #P116Z230319. The project contents, however, do not necessarily represent the policy of the Department of Education, and the reader should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government.