Veterans Helping Veterans Succeed in Higher Education
UNM-Taos offers VA Education for both veterans and dependents of veterans. If you are interested or have questions, please contact the Financial Aid Office at 575.737.6215 or finaidtaos@unm.edu.
Veterans who wanted to return to school or change their careers know the benefits of reaching out to the New Mexico Veterans Upward Bound (NMVUB) program. Through new efforts to reach out to VFWs at local, state, and nationwide levels, many others will know the benefits as well.
Kelly Fitzpatrick, NMVUB coordinator and Army veteran, knows the challenges of acclimating to the civilian world. She found one of the hardest transitions to be navigating a higher education. After not having been in school for 20 years, she wanted to get a bachelor’s degree and entered a program, but soon discovered she was feeling more lost than found. If only there had been a Veterans Upward Bound to lend a guiding hand.
NMVUB prepares former military members for success in post-secondary education through instruction, advising, and support services. Nearly 700 veterans have come through the NMVUB program since it was established at UNM-Taos in 2012. Many of the participants have gone on to further their education with great success. With a staff made up of many veterans, it is literally a veterans-helpingveterans operation. And all services are free, thanks to support from the U.S. Dept. of Education that filters funds to NMVUB’s host institution, UNM-Taos.
On September 30, NMVUB at UNM-Taos received news from the DOE that the program was awarded approximately $235,000 in grant money for Fiscal Year 2023 — supporting the program for five years. The UNM-Taos NMVUB program is currently the only one in the state. This funding will help about 125 veterans.
“We couldn’t perform our mission, to improve the academic skills and overall well-being of our New Mexico veterans, without the continual support of our partners,” Fitzpatrick shared, mentioning UNM-Taos and S.E.E.4VETS, in particular. “I’ve learned during my three years as NMVUB program coordinator that New Mexico takes care of its veterans and I’m privileged to be a part of that service.”