When Ryan Cody transferred to the University of Missouri–St. Louis, he called the UMSL Veterans Center once a week for three weeks in a row. Cody wanted to be certain that his GI Bill benefits for serving in the Army National Guard were approved and everything was in order.
“Each time they’re like, ‘Don’t worry, man, it’s taken care of. You’re good,’” he said. “I didn’t believe them until I saw my bill was taken care of, and it alleviated so much stress. I knew I could just focus on school.”
The first time he set foot in the Veterans Center, a student worker welcomed him like he had always belonged. The center is part of the Division of Student Affairs and serves as a campus hub where veteran and military-connected students can comfortably gather to study and socialize.
“He jumped up, introduced himself and showed me around,” Cody said. “I got brought into the conversations with other students there, and it felt like a place I fit in.”
Cody quickly threw himself into the Veterans Center – a place where he could be himself and succeed with the support of his fellow veterans. He began his tenure at the center as a student worker and then served as the center’s interim coordinator for about four or five months. When Martina Meng assumed the full-time role as manager of the center in January, he moved into positions as a team lead for student workers and instructor of the first-year experience course for veteran and military-connected students.
This month, the National Association of Veterans Program Administrators awarded Cody its 2024 NAVPA Region V Scholarship in recognition of his diligent work at the UMSL Veterans Center and his 15 years of dedicated service in the Army National Guard.
The scholarship program is designed to provide financial assistance to veterans and veteran dependents who are pursing undergraduate degrees, graduate degrees and alternative certificates at member institutions. Each of the eight regional scholarship recipients receives a $1,000 award.
Cody admits he was unsure of his chances, but Meng, who had previously served on scholarship panels for the NAVPA, pushed him to apply.
“It was the first competitive scholarship I’d applied for, so it’s like, ‘There’s no way I’m going to win,’” he said. “I’d looked at the previous recipients, and some of them were pretty impressive. So, getting that email was really surprising.”
Cody is now a model member of the UMSL community, as evidenced by the recent accolade, but things could have turned out very differently. After graduating from Parkway South High School in 2007, he drifted directionless for a bit before enlisting in the Missouri National Guard.
“I decided to make a laundry list of mistakes first, and then I thought maybe the military could fix them,” he said. “It did not wave a magic wand, but it provided me the avenues to improve my life.”
As civilian soldiers, National Guard service members drill one weekend a month and two weeks each summer for annual training. Initially, Cody managed a bar and restaurant in Chesterfield, Missouri, for several years in addition to his military service. After deploying overseas for a year, Cody decided to change career paths and began working full-time for the National Guard as a unit training NCO. That role involved training soldiers but also a great deal of logistics, from record-keeping to travel arrangements.
After four years in that position, Cody felt he was ready to further his education and enrolled at St. Louis Community College. The move came with a new job and a drastic change in schedule.
“When I first went back, I picked up a job in a FedEx warehouse, working at 2 a.m. because it fit with my class schedule,” he said. “I’d wake up at 2, go load trucks with boxes for four or five hours, change in my car, run to class, and then I’d get home from class and help raise my son.”
Cody transferred to the secondary education program at UMSL after completing his prerequisite courses at STLCC. His wife had previously graduated from the College of Education, and he was impressed by its rigorous programs. The conveniently located campus – 10 minutes from home – didn’t hurt, either.
At UMSL, Cody has become a fixture at the Veterans Center, located in Clark Hall on North Campus. As a team lead, he helps train new student workers and provide guidance as they settle into their positions. He supports the team, jumping in when necessary to help sort out benefit certifications and answer questions as they arise.
His experience as a unit training NCO has positively informed his role as team lead, and his education coursework at UMSL has also sharpened his practice as a platoon sergeant during monthly drilling.
“It’s definitely been a huge help,” he said. “My education here has helped my military side, as well. When it comes to training my soldiers, I’m more aware of best practices for teaching, so I like to think that my soldiers are getting better training.”
Cody will graduate in December with a bachelor’s degree in secondary education with an emphasis in English. After commencement, he’ll continue his education at UMSL in the English master’s program. Ideally, in the future, he’d like to continue working in higher education while also teaching literature as an adjunct instructor.
As the milestone approaches, Cody credits his success to the mentality he learned in the Army National Guard.
“In the military, you’re given a mission and the option of not succeeding isn’t there,” he said. “This is what has to be done, and you figure out the best way to make it happen. I’ve treated my education like that, and a lot of things outside of education, just my regular life, like that as well.”