Tonight, the Office of First-Year Courses held its annual First-Year Leader interviews. 14 candidates took part in a selection process that examined their abilities in communication, group leadership, and creative problem solving. If selected, these students will become embedded consultants in Student Success Seminars, mentoring incoming freshmen and passing along the knowledge that made them successful during their first semester of college. First-Year Leaders help others, but they also take part in an extensive co-curricular training program, providing them with highly sought after “soft skills” such as peer-mentorship and collaboration. These skills will later help them when they enter the job market after graduation

Travis L. Martin, PhD, is founding director of the Kentucky Center for Veterans Studies at Eastern Kentucky University. He has established several nationally recognized programs to support returning veterans in higher education and the non-profit sector. A scholar of American literature, psychoanalytic trauma theory, and social theory, Dr. Martin presents frequently at conferences and universities. He has published dozens of research articles and creative short works on veterans’ issues. A former sergeant in the U.S. Army, he served during two deployments in the Iraq War (2003-04 & 2005). His book War and Homecoming: Veteran Identity and the Post-9/11 Generation is slated for publication with the University Press of Kentucky in 2022. He resides in Richmond, KY.