UTA veterans office ensures no military students are ‘hurry-up-and-waiting’ for services

Veterans once served the United States. But, at the University of Texas at Arlington’s Military and Veteran Services office, it is their turn to be served.

The center aims to give “white-glove service” to veterans looking for help, said Edward King Sr., director of Military and Veteran Services at UTA.

“When we come in this door, no one’s hurry-up-and-waiting for anything,” he said.

Veteran’s Edge mentors guide military-connected students to resources and answer questions about benefits. 

The office also provides a place to gather, helping students build community with those with similar experiences.

“They’re sitting here talking about life, about their experience, joking and just kind of de-stressing,” King said. “This gives them an opportunity to get away from whatever they was dealing with outside of here. I want this to be their home away from home.” 

The office also gets calls from veterans who are not connected to the university. Workers point them in the right direction to make sure all veterans have what they need.

It also hosts events to bring together the military-connected community on campus.

“We want to host these events so that we can get more people knowing about where we are, what we do and just knowing that they can come over here and be a part of the camaraderie,” said Shamarah Tezeno, a Veteran’s Edge mentor who previously served as an Army mechanic maintaining Blackhawk and Chinook helicopters.

On Nov. 10, the office held an event to celebrate the Marine Corps’ 250th birthday. Participants created paintings in an activity provided by the Art of War Project, a nonprofit started by Army veteran Scott Morris to provide a creative outlet for veterans to process their experiences.

With Zach Bryan and Hozier tunes playing in the background, attendees brushed paint across canvas. 

One participant was Billy Jackson, a Veteran’s Edge mentor who is studying social work. He said he has “always been the go-to guy” for people seeking support, including when he served as an aviation electronics technician in the Navy. 

“I spent most of my time basically being an unpaid social worker,” he said.

As one of the few sailors who had their own apartment, he hosted barbecues to help those new to the ship meet other sailors. He felt lonely when he first arrived at the ship, and he did not want others to feel the same way.

Now, his mentor role at the center allows him to continue supporting others and get better at it, something he is grateful for, he said.

At the Marine Corps birthday event, Jackson blended green and purple paint onto a canvas. He painted what he called “two faces of empathy.” Experiencing something difficult can teach you lessons that allow you to help others, he said.

“A person with high empathy typically goes through a lot in their life, which makes them sensitive, right? But when they come out of that, it’s very joyful,” he said. “That’s how it has been for me.”

McKinnon Rice is the higher education reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact her at mckinnon.rice@fortworthreport.org. 

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