June 11, 2024 Veterans Resource Center: Advancing the Narrative
This quarter’s Spotlight series features Dr. Emily Dahlem and UCLA Veteran Services. Next to the Transfer Student Center in Kerckhoff Hall, The Veterans Resource Center (VRC) is centrally located, one floor below the coffee house. The calming aroma of a fresh cup of coffee fills the classic gothic halls and provides a balance to the hustle and activity that defines a typical day in Kerckhoff; the VRC is no exception.
As the Director of the VRC, Emily leads with the philosophy of service before self. This commitment to community stems from a family background where she has seen service as an opportunity to help others. Upon meeting Emily, I was welcomed into her office where she shared some time with me to tell the VRC’s story which centers on supporting military-connected students.
Before reading Emily’s impressive bio and doctoral dissertation, her passion for the veteran and military-connected community was clear. Students that represent such a small demographic in the UCLA community (approximately 3.7% of the student body) can often be overlooked. Raising awareness of this community, as well as their specific challenges and contributions, is what Emily refers to as “advancing the narrative.”
Advancing the narrative is telling the stories of veteran and military-connected students. Emily wants people to know what student Veterans have to offer the UCLA community. She explains that these students are a microcosm of the rich diversity of student experiences at UCLA with students who hail from all kinds of backgrounds and life experiences - including many from underrepresented and underserved communities. Their contributions are based on their real-world experiences, travels, work-ethic and special abilities.
One unique attribute Emily admires in so many of our Veterans and service members is the duty within themselves to serve their communities—whether in uniform or as civilians. Veterans often seek out and provide volunteer services to the community. Emily observes that when Veteran students volunteer, it is rare to do it for notoriety or photo opportunities. They also often embrace duties that many would avoid. One of those quiet contributions is the yearly cleaning of grave stones at Veterans Memorial cemetery, here in Westwood.
Emily recalls when she found her calling to help others. It was a normal day in the life of a second-grader. Emily was working on her math problems and was able to quickly pick up the concept. Her teacher, Mrs. Cohen as she remembers so well, noticed Emily and privately asked her to help another student who was struggling.
Emily vividly remembers being overwhelmed with the thought of supporting her classmate—immediately associating helping people with a feeling of purpose. She considers that moment the start of her dedication to service and channels that feeling as she leads her office today. She has provided support for over 1,000 Veterans and military-connected students and contributed to over $35 million per year in economic impact not only to the university but to the city of Los Angeles. (a calculation based on the benefit certification process)
After that second-grade experience, Emily became a multi-patch level Girl Scout, another formative leadership experience that prepared her for earning her Bachelor of Arts in Communication studies at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She would later earn a Master of Education degree and a Doctorate of Education, both from UCLA. Her Ed.D. dissertation is entitled: “Understanding the College Choice Process of United States Military-Affiliated Transfer Students”.
Kristen, a veteran dependent I spoke with, says, “Being an active community member of the VRC has been a main highlight of my UCLA experience. “The VRC has provided me with my first job experience, building and maintaining connections to the military-affiliated community.”
Jacob, a veteran, shared “The VRC has given me a space to interact with and make new friends that are like minded. Veterans and dependents here are extremely welcoming and kind which gives transferring and new students a cozy environment to adjust to UCLA.”
Of the military-connected student population nearly 70% of students are pursuing an undergraduate degree, 12% are pursuing an MBA, 11% of the military-connected are pursuing an academic masters or Ph.D., 3% are pursuing a Law degree, 2% are pursuing a MD and less than 2% are pursuing a DDS degree.
Under Emily’s leadership, the VRC has advanced UCLA’s understanding of why veterans meticulously select their paths of matriculation and the factors that contribute to their success. Her passion to find opportunities for affordable and accessible education for Veterans through scholarship, tuition initiatives, government funding, and local opportunities is a cause now shared by many of her colleagues in both the VRC and other departments across campus. Emily admits that she will always be that same Girl Scout at heart and serving her UCLA veterans and military-connected students is where she finds her joy.
Visit the Veterans Resource Center online at veterans.ucla.edu and on Instagram at @uclaveterans. Dr. Emily Dahlem can be contacted via email at edahlem@saonet.ucla.edu.