Grand Valley celebrates veterans

Grand Valley students, faculty and staff members gathered November 9 to celebrate and recognize veterans on campus.

During the event, Jon Jellema, associate vice president for Academic Affairs, thanked all veterans who served in the U.S Army, Navy, Airforce, Marines and Coast Guard. “You served your country and for that, we are all in your debt,” he said. “Employers want people who have good thinking skills, can adapt and know how to work on a team. You have that background and you bring it to Grand Valley.”

Eric Cederholm, vice president of the Student Veterans Organization and a social work and public administration major, said it is great to see the student veterans network on campus grow from 300 veterans a few years ago to more than 550 this year.

“The Student Veterans Organization is a good place for us to connect with one another and talk about the challenges and joys of school and what our life was before and currently is,” said Cederholm.

From November 9-17, Grand Valley is celebrating veterans with performances of “An Identified Enemy,” a play that tells the personal stories of several Iraq War participants. Veterans and their families will receive free admission. Visit www.gvsu.edu/theatre for more information.

For more information about Grand Valley’s Student Veterans Network, visit www.gvsu.edu/veterans.