Valley of Valor: JMU Valor

HARRISONBURG, Va. (WHSV) – College can be hard enough, but imagine trying to find your place on campus straight out of the military. According to a Veteran’s Affairs (VA) survey, only 15% of student veterans are of traditional college age, between 18 and 23. Most student veterans are between the ages of 24 and 40.

The age difference can make it difficult for student veterans to navigate college. At James Madison University, JMU Valor is working to close these gaps. JMU Valor is a resource center for all military-connected students, faculty and staff.

According to the VA study, 13% of GI Bill beneficiaries are family members of a veteran, 75% of whom are military children.

Michaela Messick is a sophomore at JMU and a military dependent. Both of her parents served in the Marine Corps. Although she said she hasn’t had to move as much, there is still a cultural difference between military and civilian families. She said JMU Valor helped her feel understood.

“If you come here after being a dependent and having military parents, it can be hard to make friends with other people who aren’t cut from the same cloth as you,” Messick said. “When you come here to this space to be with people who were raised the same way you were, it just provides such a safe space and makes it easier to make friends.”

The center offers free snacks, a study area and a massage chair, but it is more than a place to rest. It is a connection point for student veterans, many of whom struggle with the difficult transition from the military to college.

“Friends who had gone through the same experiences as me were gone — that network of brotherhood was just completely missing, it’s quite a shift,” said Jonathan Carnell, a U.S. Army veteran and JMU student. “A lot of us struggle with depression or loneliness things like that. Someone 24/25 years old will probably get an apartment of their own and have no one. They don’t want to talk to like 18-year-old kids just out of high school because there’s just kind of, there’s no connection really. It’s a bit like a fish out of water.”

Carnell is a five-year active military veteran, including two years in the reserves. He is also the president of the Student Veteran’s Association (SVA) at JMU.

“We’re trying to create this kind of brotherhood between everyone and trying to bring something familiar to an unknown area,” he said.

Carnell said between SVA and JMU Valor he has found his community — something that may not have happened just through his classes.

The center provides resources and resources to help veterans succeed and answers all their questions, whether about benefits, counseling or veteran organizations within the community.

“It just means community. I have a place on campus where I can always go, just like many other people with their clubs. Because this is specific to military ties, it really makes it special,” Messick said.

If you are a veteran but not a student, JMU Valor also has resources for you. The center houses the Virginia Department of Veterans Services Monday through Thursday. On Mondays and Tuesdays an employee can help with family support. Benefits assistance is offered on Wednesdays and Thursdays. To make an appointment, you can do this via the Staunton VDVS.