Veteran Student Center Blog

More powerful than the will to win is the courage to begin.

Veteran Student Success: Mike Davis

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Michael DavisMissouri State student veterans continue to succeed during their college careers and beyond. The latest success story is one involving Mike Davis, a senior psychology major.

Davis recently earned the Recognized Associates Substance Abuse Counselor-1 (RASAC-1) certificate from the state of Missouri. With this certificate, he is able to conduct group therapy sessions, which is what he does at Burrell Behavioral Health, where he is employed. Davis works with adolescents (ages 13-17) as a substance abuse counselor.

“I was given the choice of working with adults or working with adolescents,” Davis said. “I prefer adolescents because adults are set in their ways, so to speak. In this type of work, you’re only able to reach a certain percentage. Whereas adolescents are at a young enough age that you can make a tremendous impact in their lives.”

For Davis to get the RASAC-1, he had to earn an associate’s degree, complete 280 hours worked as a counselor, pass a Missouri background check so he can be qualified to work with children and have a written recommendation from his supervisor. Once all of this was completed, he applied to the state of Missouri certification board.

Davis plans to earn his baccalaureate degree in May. Once he graduates, he will earn the RASAC-2, which would allow him to conduct one-on-one therapy sessions.

Davis wants to further his education after completing his undergraduate program. He wants to pursue a Master’s degree and become a licensed professional counselor for the state of Missouri.

Davis is a veteran of the United States Marine Corps who served during the Vietnam War.

The MSU veteran student community prides itself in the fact that many of its members have gone on to successful ventures after furthering their education. Davis is no different.

Welcome Back Veterans

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Now that the holiday slumber has passed, it’s time once again for another semester at Missouri State University. If you are a first-time student to MSU, welcome! If you are a returning student, welcome back!

Veterans make up a small portion of the total enrollment at MSU. Veteran Student Services is here to provide assistance for all of our veterans on campus as well as in the community. VSS is here to help veterans and dependents find resources both on and off campus to make their experience at MSU more manageable. VSS also has an orientation checklist for all incoming students to assist with enrollment and registration prior to attending classes. The checklist can be found on the VSS website.

We have a few changes coming to VSS in 2016. The most notable of which is that the office has hired a new director, CPT James T. Craig.

CPT Craig has served in the U.S. Army for 25 years. He currently serves as an assistant professor of military science at Missouri S&T, and has also served with military police. He has completed deployments to Kuwait, Iraq and Bosnia during his military career. Craig will assume the role of director in June. Until then, all questions and inquiries can be directed towards Raeleen Ziegler, our military/veterans transition coordinator, who currently serves as the interim director.

Another notable change to announce is that the GI Bill certificate of eligibility can now be accessed online from the e-benefits website, as opposed to applying for and receiving it through snail mail.

During their time at MSU, veterans and dependents can opt to join the Veteran Student Organization, a campus organization comprised of and managed by veteran students. The VSO strives to further personal growth and leadership through community and campus engagement by awareness, education and services.

Over 40 veteran students graduated this past fall 2015 semester. We plan to continue supporting our veteran students in the successful completion of their degree this semester and beyond.