What UT Dallas Student Veterans Learned in a Mentorship Session

On October 15, 2026, Student Veterans of America’s Employment Pathways program held a virtual mentorship session with the UT Dallas student veteran chapter. Three veteran hiring leaders from EY, Penske Transportation Solutions, and TriWest Healthcare Alliance explained their career paths and how students can connect with them.

Who this is for: student veterans who are currently enrolled or graduating soon and are exploring consulting, logistics, or healthcare careers.

Key takeaways

• Three veteran hiring leaders from EY, Penske, and TriWest shared entry paths and offered to meet with students one-on-one.
• The shared message: military experience translates to civilian work, and student veterans are not behind.
• Mentors encouraged students to build their network early and to set realistic expectations for a first civilian role.

What was the mentorship session?

The session was a one-hour virtual event hosted on Microsoft Teams as part of SVA Employment Pathways, a program that connects student veterans directly with veteran mentors at employers. The UT Dallas chapter president, Jonathan Applewhite, welcomed attendees and described it as the chapter’s first virtual event. Steve Amsden, Vice President of Employment Pathways at SVA, hosted the session.

The goal, as the host described it, was to connect students with mentors who can help with internships and lasting relationships, not only to deliver information.

Who were the mentors?

• Ron DeSilva, Veterans Recruiting Lead at EY and a U.S. Air Force veteran
• Sean Wilkins, Military Recruiting Manager at Penske Transportation Solutions and a U.S. Army veteran
• Henry Moore, Senior Human Capital Business Partner at TriWest Healthcare Alliance and a retired U.S. Air Force veteran

What did Ron DeSilva of EY share?

Ron focused on translating military experience. He described a Navy helicopter pilot whose resume listed only aviation duties. When Ron asked about projects he had led, the officer described a year-long effort to make a costly training exercise more efficient, with milestones, deliverables, and change management. None of it was on his resume.

Ron also outlined the path at EY: staff or analyst, then senior consultant, a level where he said you spend about three years, then manager at roughly five years in total. After manager comes senior manager and, if you want it, equity partner. He did not give timelines for those last two steps.

Ron said many student veterans feel behind friends who did not serve and are further along in their careers, and he disagreed.

“The skills that you’ve gained while in the military, they’ll never have those skills. They just never will.”

Ron DeSilva, Veterans Recruiting Lead, EY

What did Sean Wilkins of Penske share?

Sean described two entry paths at Penske. The management training program on the truck leasing and rental side brings in recent graduates and recently separated veterans and exposes them to sales, leasing, rental, operations, and maintenance. The logistics training program, on the third-party logistics side of the business, runs about nine to 12 months and leads to an operations supervisor role, the first-line leader position. Sean did not give a timeline for the management training program.

He said advancement at Penske is based on performance more than time in role, and that Penske has internships. His advice on networking was to reach out respectfully to people in roles you want and ask for a short conversation.

What did Henry Moore of TriWest share?

Henry described his own transition: he used the DoD SkillBridge program for an HR internship at a Social Security Administration office in Ohio before moving into contractor work and then TriWest. He explained that TriWest, a multi-state operation, administers healthcare coverage for military families and veterans, and that many of its roles are not clinical, including case managers, clinical reviewers, customer service, and provider data specialists.

He said TriWest does not currently have internships but is in discussion to build out an internship program, and that most of its roles are remote.

What advice applied to every student?

• You are not behind. Military experience builds leadership, planning, and communication skills that employers value.
• Build your network now. Informational conversations with people in roles you are considering help you make better decisions. As Sean put it, “you don’t know what you don’t know.”
• Set realistic expectations. Look for an organization where you can succeed early and grow, rather than expecting to start at your military level of responsibility.

What should student veterans do next?

See upcoming mentorship sessions and register on the SVA events page. Students at the college who attend these events get access to SVA’s free LinkedIn Premium offer.

FAQ

Who can attend SVA mentorship sessions? Student veterans register through the event page for each session. Students must attend the host school or school system listed on the event.

Can students contact the mentors after a session? Yes. The host encouraged students to schedule time with any presenter through the Employment Pathways site, and the mentors shared their contact information during the session.

Do EY, Penske, and TriWest offer internships? The mentors described different situations: EY discussed internships and full-time roles, Penske said it has internships, and TriWest said it is in discussion to build a program. Check each employer’s current postings.

Sources

• SVA event page: UT Dallas Virtual Student Veteran Mentorship Session
• Session recording, October 15, 2026

Last updated October 26, 2026.