UNLV Student Veterans President

By: Chuck N. Baker

(Las Vegas) — Being in the military means a life of regimentation. So when a veteran leaves the service, it might take some time before he or she joins another organization. On the other hand another opportunity sometimes pops up, and the chance to serve is strong enough to commit oneself, especially if it involves helping and contributing to the lives of veterans and others. After leaving the service Andrew Ho enrolled at UNLV. As an Air Force veteran, he said he initially felt out of place as a college student. “The military was my life. It was who I was, it was my identity,” he said. He had invested seven years in the Air Force in the hospitality section, mostly as a cook. He was the first in his family to join the military, and to enter college. When he left the service in 2017, he used his own money for his education and applied for scholarships to further pay his way through school. He earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology in December. of 2020.

Now Ho, at 29, has been recognized for helping other veterans make the transition to college. His volunteer work with veterans and with other non-profit organizations has earned him praise from UNLV’s executive director of the Military and Veterans Services Center, Ross Bryant. “We’re very proud of Andrew Ho,” Bryant said. But more than praise, Ho was named Student Veteran of the Year 2020 by Student Veterans of America, a nation-wide organization representing some 1,500 university chapters. Bryant said Ho was nominated for the award for among other things, helping fellow veterans at risk of depression and isolation during the pandemic. Of UNLV’s 25,000 students, about 1,800 are military veterans. Bryant reported that since 2013, at least four veterans at UNLV have committed suicide.

In January 2020, Ho was elected president of UNLV’s Rebel Vets, the university’s organization that supports and advocates for student veterans. He spoke up for the federal Student Veteran Coronavirus Response Act of 2020. The act authorized temporary education benefits and monthly housing allowances for student veterans taking online classes until Dec. 21, 2021. Further engaging himself in helping students with depression and thoughts of harming themselves, Ho set up Zoom meetings with veteran alumni and social workers so they could talk to students about taking care of their health and staying fit. He organized volunteer events and helped fill more than 1,200 grocery bags for local food pantries, and set up weekend hikes for veterans attending the college. He has also lent his efforts to Big Brothers Big Sisters, mentoring a young boy who was 10 years old at the time. Now 13, he’ll be starting middle school and has benefitted from his association with Ho.

Ho graduated from Spring Valley High School in Las Vegas, and said he wasn’t ready to start college right away. The allure of military life drew him to enlist. “I knew I wanted to be something that had a larger purpose, and that made my parents proud.” It was a time of war in the Middle East, and his parents were initially skeptical about his joining the military. “But they eventually came around,” he said. In addition to learning general hospitality protocol, the Air Force taught him how to cook. Prior to that he said he could only heat up Ramen noodles or pop frozen foods in the microwave.

Now the first in his family to have completed college, he is further using his G.I. Bill benefits for graduate school and has begun an occupational therapy program at UNLV. The Student Veteran of the Year award surprised him, but it has encouraged him to do even more for his follow veterans. “This award reaffirms that I’m heading in the right direction and just further inspires me to do great things,” Ho said. He added that helping other people brings him joy and fulfillment. “… I want to make a positive impact helping others.” The Air Force taught him discipline and how to focus on his various life missions. He said he found it easier to connect with other military veterans on campus than with younger students coming right out of high school. He continues to advocate for student veterans with the belief that success in higher education can give them purpose again. “College is the best time to explore, experience and reshape our future,” he explained.

His talents and determination have moved him to accomplish great things, but he is humbled by the national award and looks forward to doing more. “I certainly couldn’t have done it without the student vets and those on my team, the whole team. That’s what I want to be part of.” He is not only a part, he is a proven leader.

# # #