Over the years military veteran Stephanie Willis has been recognized for either her military service or her academic achievements, but not both at the same time.

DePaul University’s Veterans Advocacy Group (VAG) hopes to do just that with its inaugural annual graduation celebration for military/veteran students and alumni, to be held at 5:30 p.m. May 28 at Dave & Buster’s, 1030 N. Clark St., Chicago. All military/veteran students and alumni and their families are invited to the dinner buffet, hosted by VAG and the DePaul Student Activity Fee Board. Seating is limited, so registration is required by e-mailing veteransadvocacy@depaul.edu or calling (312) 362-6367 to reserve a seat.

“Military veterans face countless hardships and challenges that many can’t even imagine. We want to acknowledge their service and academic achievements and provide them with a forum to celebrate their unique triumphs with their comrades,” said VAG President Derrick Winding.

Winding, who is also graduating from DePaul’s School for New Learning (SNL) in June, said the event gives veterans a well-deserved “thank you.”

“As a disabled veteran, I am extremely grateful to DePaul University for giving me the opportunity to complete my undergraduate education,” Winding said. “Having the new military and veterans alumni group affords us the opportunity to network together to accomplish further goals, including graduate programs or careers.”

Ron Lackey (SNL ’08) founded the Veterans Advocacy Group in 2006 to help veterans stay connected once they’re out of the military.

“Once they leave the service, there’s a loss of camaraderie, of a social group. On campus they tend to keep their heads down, and there’s a hesitancy to be identified as veterans,” said Lackey, who served in the Navy and wrote a book about how to start a veterans club at college as part of his undergraduate studies.

“You can come up with an idea but if you don’t have the support, it won’t work,” Lackey said. “Everybody I have worked with at DePaul has been very supportive.”

Willis said she appreciates the special attention.

“It makes me feel noticed and special. This is more personal,” said Willis, who is also graduating from SNL. “I’ve been excited to be involved in any of the veteran events here on campus.”

DePaul’s Veterans Advocacy Group promotes a sense of community for veterans, military personnel and the general population at DePaul. By using several skills that all members possess (leadership, dedication, loyalty) to help veterans who are less fortunate, the sense of community will grow. For more information about VAG, visit http://vag.depaul.edu or e-mail veteransadvocacy@depaul.edu.

For more information about services available to veterans at DePaul, please visit http://studentaffairs.depaul.edu/va/#Link6.

About the School for New Learning (SNL)

Established in 1972, SNL is one of the first programs in the nation expressly designed to serve the needs of adult learners balancing work, family and school. It has earned an international reputation for its competence-based approach to learning that offers innovative, adult-focused curricula and degree programs. One of SNL’s most unique features is that it allows students to receive class credit for their professional and personal experience.

About DePaul

With more than 25,000 students, DePaul University is the largest Catholic university in the United States and the largest private, non-profit university in the Midwest. The university offers approximately 275 graduate and undergraduate programs of study on two Chicago campuses, four suburban campuses and three international locations. Founded in 1898, DePaul remains committed to providing a quality education through personal attention to students from a wide range of backgrounds. For more information, visit www.depaul.edu.