While taking stock of possible college destinations, Margaret Wachtler ’28 worried that as a community college transfer and Army veteran in her early 20s she would stand out in a student body of traditional undergraduates.
Her hometown Pomona College quelled those concerns immediately with webpages dedicated to non-traditional students, and January’s Transfer Student Open House gave her the chance to chat with Sagehens who once shared her concerns before deciding to pursue a liberal arts education here.
Wachtler says the availability of such resources to prospective non-traditional students assured her Pomona supports all backgrounds and lived experiences.
In her first semester on campus, she’s found that to be true.
“A lot of veteran students worry about coming into college and either sticking out or not enjoying it because of the culture change,” Wachtler says. “There’s already so much diversity in terms of background and ethnicity and interests at Pomona that being a veteran is just the story you bring with you—same as everybody else.”
Pomona’s Commitment to Veteran Students
Pomona’s commitment to welcoming students who have served in the United States Armed Forces begins during the admissions process.
As a member of the Yellow Ribbon Program through the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, the College provides 50% of remaining eligible tuition and fee expenses through the Yellow Ribbon Scholarship provided by the VA as well as the Pomona College match.
Once veteran students begin their studies here, Pomona offers a series of programs designed to foster community, provide networking opportunities and celebrate their contributions to campus life.
Wachtler and several other veteran students broke bread with Student Affairs staff at a social dinner in Claremont at the start of the semester, a gathering that included new and returning veterans at different points along their academic journeys.
Veteran students and staff at Pomona can also participate in a yearly Climb for Heroes hike up Mt. Baldy the Saturday before Veterans Day. This past weekend marked the third year that the Outdoor Education Center (OEC) has co-sponsored a team of Pomona veterans to participate for free.
“We work together to provide the opportunity to veterans to get outside and be a part of a community that appreciates them,” OEC Manager Connor Bigenho says. “It’s a great opportunity.”
Brandon Jackson, associate dean of student development and leadership, says such events foster community and provide the veterans cohort the opportunity to learn more about such resources as career guidance and faculty mentorship.
Veterans Also Work at Pomona
This academic year, Pomona students have the opportunity to learn from Chamberlain Project Visiting Fellow Brandon Archuleta, an Army veteran of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and former adjunct professor at Georgetown University.
As an initiative of Blue Star Families, the Chamberlain Project builds a bridge for transitioning military members to enter academia as college professors.
“Brandon is very well trained as a scholar and brings in real world experience concerning security, government and military that is very rare at Pomona and increasingly so in higher education,” says Tom Le, associate professor and chair of politics.
“The student response to Brandon’s presence has been very positive,” Le adds, “which demonstrates that we as a department are a big tent that can offer a lot to students in terms of specialty, training and worldview.”
The College’s veteran population also includes staff such as Chauncey Lewis, a media services technician with Information Technology Services.
A Marine veteran originally from Mississippi, Lewis found Pomona’s promise of a healthy work-life balance the perfect change of pace from his previous employer. Since being hired in 2022, the 35-year-old has fathered two daughters and gotten married, and says he’s had no shortage of time to enjoy the surrounding Claremont community with his family.
As a veteran who’s been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), Lewis says he feels safe at Pomona. He’s found camaraderie with colleagues, as well as places to breathe, collect his thoughts and ground himself.
“I love that about this campus,” he says.
From repairing radio communications gear in the military to providing tech support at the College, Lewis is at his best when he’s assisting others.
“I like working with my hands and electronics,” he says. “I love doing this. I love supporting.”
How Veterans Acclimate to Campus Life
Although new to Pomona, Wachtler is heavily involved in the Mathematics & Statistics Department and is a regular at weekly social events. She’s often at the Draper Center for Community Partnerships and is also part of the veterans and transfers social groups.
The math major often relies on abilities she picked up in the service to get her through academic roadblocks.
She’s no stranger to facing tasks that seem impossible, so when a homework assignment appears especially daunting or a project requires brain power on minimal rest, Wachtler can tap into her reserves to complete the task.
In addition to fretting about feeling out of place at a four-year institution, Wachtler once worried that faculty at the college she chose would focus more on molding younger students than those beginning their time on campus at an older age.
She’s grateful Pomona provides all students with the resources to get ahead.
“There’s so many opportunities to go as deep in your studies as you want,” she says. “As a veteran with lots of life experience, that’s honestly just a leg up to go deeper even faster.”