Your Service Is Your Starting Point

Veterans Day honors service. For student veterans, it is also a chance to remember that the experience you bring to campus is real, and that mentors who hire and lead teams say it gives you an advantage.

You are not behind

Many student veterans worry they started late compared with classmates who went straight into a career. Veteran mentors from EY, Penske, TriWest, and Cox Enterprises told students this fall that the experience built in service is something traditional students cannot get.

Ron DeSilva, Veterans Recruiting Lead at EY (Ernst & Young), said it plainly at SVA’s mentorship session with the UT Dallas student veteran chapter: do not feel like you are behind.

What mentors say you bring

• Experience working in structured, demanding environments.
• Communication up and down a chain of command.
• Problem solving, often with technology and with a team.
• Leadership and responsibility at a young age.

Peter Mahmood, Military Relations Manager at Cox Enterprises, added a reminder for interviews: speak about your own role, not only the team’s. Describe what you did and what you accomplished.

One thing to do today

Write down three examples from your service that show leadership, problem solving, or communication. Keep them next to your resume. They will help when you write a resume, prepare for an interview, or reach out to a veteran professional.

If you want to take the next step, read our guide to reaching out to one veteran professional this Veterans Day, and find upcoming mentorship sessions on the SVA events page.

Thank you to every student veteran, and to the mentors, alumni, and employer partners who support them.

Sources

• SVA Employment Pathways virtual mentorship sessions: UT Dallas (October 15, 2026) and University of Central Florida (November 4, 2026)

Last updated November 10, 2026.