Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

UNLV student recognized for helping fellow military veterans on campus

Andrew Ho: 2020 Student Veteran of the Year

Steve Marcus

UNLV graduate student Andrew Ho, winner of the 2020 Student Veteran of the Year award from Student Veterans of America, poses on UNLV campus Tuesday, March 2, 2021. Ho is the second student veteran at UNLV to win the national award.

As an Air Force veteran, Andrew Ho felt out of place when he enrolled at UNLV.

"The military was my life. It was who I was; it was my identity,” he said.

Four years later, Ho, 29, is being recognized for helping other veterans make the transition to college. He was recently named Student Veteran of the Year 2020 by Student Veterans of America, an organization with about 1,500 university chapters nationwide.

“This award reaffirms that I’m heading in the right direction and just further inspires me to do great things,” Ho said.

Ross Bryant, executive director of UNLV's Military and Veterans Services Center, nominated Ho for the award for helping fellow veterans at risk of depression and isolation during the pandemic.

Of UNLV’s 25,000 students, about 1,800 are military veterans. Since 2013, at least four veterans at UNLV have committed suicide, Bryant said.

Ho spent seven years in the Air Force as a cook. He is the first in his family to join the military and graduate from college.

His father is a card dealer and his mother a pit boss at Las Vegas casinos. They moved to the United States from Vietnam.

Ho, who was born in Oregon and moved to Las Vegas when he was about 10 years old, said he joined the Air Force because he wanted to do something meaningful with his life and wasn’t ready for college.

When he left the service in 2017, he used his own money and applied for scholarships to pay his way through school. He earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology in December.

He saved his GI Bill benefits for graduate school and starts an occupational therapy program at UNLV this summer. The GI Bill covers the cost of such things as tuition, housing and books for qualifying veterans.

In January 2020, Ho was elected president of Rebel Vets, an organization that supports and advocates for student veterans at UNLV. Two months later, UNLV switched most classes and services online to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

Ho quickly pushed out surveys to determine the biggest concerns facing student veterans. He helped them navigate the rules surrounding the GI Bill to make sure they continued to get their benefits during the pandemic.

Ho said helping other people brings him joy and fulfillment. "I'm in the academic environment and I want to make a positive impact helping others," he said.

He said he found it easier to connect with other military veterans on campus than with younger students coming right out of high school.

He said the Air Force taught him discipline and to focus on his mission, which became graduating from college.

Ho also advocated for the federal Student Veteran Coronavirus Response Act of 2020, which authorized temporary education benefits and monthly housing allowance for student veterans taking online classes until Dec. 21, 2021.

“I’ve watched the issues change when we transitioned into the virtual environment . . . That caused a lot of anxiety for students,” Ho said.

Ho set up Zoom meetings with veteran alumni and social workers who talked to students about taking care of themselves. He organized volunteer events and helped fill more than 1,200 grocery bags of food for local food pantries.

He also set up weekend hikes for veterans attending UNLV.

He continued routine work, like holding Zoom meetings about how to prepare for interviews, write resumes and create professional online profiles to attract employers.

Ho continues to advocate for student veterans with the belief that success in higher education can give them purpose again.

“College is the best time to explore, experience and reshape our future,” he said.