Katherine: Well, thank you for being here today at the Transfer Talks Podcast. My name is Katherine Lawlor. I serve as a Transfer Jacks Coordinator. Could you go ahead and introduce yourself?

Pete: Oh, good afternoon. Thanks for having me. My name's Pete Yanka and I serve as the Director for Veteran Military Services here.

Katherine: Wonderful. Well, we'll get started. Regarding your own transfer experience, I know you have a journey that you know actually several people can have where you transferred and then end up transferring back, is what I heard, to your original institution. So, can you tell me what went into that decision-making regarding your own journey as an undergrad student?

Pete: Sure. Well, I started off at a small little school in Ohio. I had a good experience, but I also had an older brother that was there. And so, when I went there, I thought I kind of thought it through. But in a lot of ways, I was kind of following my brother there. And I had an opportunity to transfer to a larger public institution in Ohio, and so, decided to head there and try my experience there. Learned a lot about the transfer process and kind of the nuts and bolts of it. But also, the just the overall experience, and when I went there, there are a lot of good people there and it was a good school. But what I found that I was missing was that so many people already had their connections. And when I transferred there, it felt very out of the loop. Like support, networks of people knowing what to do, that was all established and I came in feeling like I really didn't know very much at all. Didn't really connect with folks because all those folks had their groups. And I found myself really thinking about the school where I came from. And so, the next semester I decided to transfer back. And when I went back it was much more about what was the experience that I wanted and felt the connection of folks, even though I was transferring back, I knew some people from the year before. And they welcomed me with open arms, and I remember feeling like wow that was, that was what was missing in my transfer experience I went to the other school. And so, from that experience, I really felt like as I'm working with transfer students, wherever are they transferring from to wherever their journey might be, are we that welcoming environment for them? And whether or not they came their first semester, first year, or first half of their career in higher ed, are we doing what we can to let them know that they're a part of this community and being intentional about it?

Katherine: That's great to hear because I don't know if our audience knows. But military-connected students happen to be primarily transfer students because of orders and different assignments that they receive. It's very common to work with military-connected students who are transfer students.

Pete: Absolutely. The majority of our veterans are transfer students. And so, their experience of whether they're taking courses within the military, or they transition out of the military and started one school, community college, and then comes, and come to the university. There's a lot of transfer experience with that, so you are absolutely correct. 

Katherine: Well, what were some of your favorite memories from your own undergraduate experience? More so thinking about those outside-of-the-classroom experiences.

Pete: I think those experiences were when the staff in particular were really welcoming. Got to know my name, not just hey here's this guy in the residence hall that we're supposed to do programming, you know, to help them feel a part of the school. It was that one-on-one connection that was added. Hey Pete, how are you doing? Is that individual concerned about how I was doing as a student, as a person. And so, a lot of my great experiences revolved around that. The Dean of Students where I transitioned, transferred back to, he knew me, he knew my name and I remember walking across the quad at the school and he said "Hey Pete where were you the other day?" And remember going “Oh, yes, he knows my name.” And even though it caught me off guard, it was one of those memories where it's like “Oh, that was a representative, representation of the community, knowing who I was as a person." And so those kinds of experiences really spoke to me.

Katherine: Sometimes when we transfer, it may delay the time we thought it was going to take us to finish an undergraduate degree. Did that transfer experience add on any semesters or were you, like how long did it take you to finish a degree?

Pete: I was very fortunate because I was early on in my academics. So, I was taking a lot of liberal studies, general studies courses, so I was fortunate that it worked out that both schools had similar general studies programs. So, I didn't get caught in that jam, that I know a number of our students do. But I was fortunate too, that, you know, I was working with an advisor at both schools, both when I was transferring out and when I was coming back that I was in a good spot, so I do know yes, as you're very well aware. 

Katherine: Yeah. 

Pete: Students can get caught in a pretty substantial jam. 

Katherine: Yes, it took me a little bit longer because of that. What kind of advice do you have for incoming transfer students when you think of that, that initial semester when they're transitioning?

Pete: Yeah, great question. I would say, say hello to the folks in the departments that are here for you. I think about all the great work that you all do. I think about what we do, you know. Just say hello and get, you know, let folks know that you're here, as we're doing our work to reach out to you all. Take advantage of swinging by and saying hello because it gives you an opportunity to connect with the community. And so NAU has a very student-centered focus and so we really work hard on building community through respect. And so, whatever your experience may have been at a previous school, or when I think about like with the military, our goal is to help folks transition into the university and what are their next steps? So, what's that forward-thinking or focus on your school, your career? And just getting connected is a, is a very good thing.

Katherine: Wonderful. I wanted to mention that not only is the Transfer Lounge and the Veterans Success Center located in the same building, being the University Union. Because we haven’t shared that with the audience yet. Your space actually has a couple of cool things for people to do so I believe you have a pool table still in there. 

Pete: Yep. 

Katherine: And a ping pong table.

Pete: Yep.

Katherine: I've seen some video games in there being played as well. And then you also have a mentoring component. They have a different title than our peer mentors. But you know I did explain to our audience that military-connected students will actually be paired with you all and your team. But they're always welcome to attend our events as well. So, they can have that transfer experience. 

Pete: Absolutely.

Katherine: Anything else you'd like to share about your department or your space? 

Pete: One of the things that I greatly value the university is that there's a, there's an overall commitment to the military-connected community. It's an extremely rich and diverse community in so many different ways and it's great to be able to work with the community directly and have the support of the university. So, what I want to share is that we're very open and willing to hear feedback on how we can make this environment better. We realize that there are a lot of shifts and changes at times. And you know the best thing that helps us make those adjustments to better serve the students is hearing directly from you. So, we're always welcome welcoming feedback and ability to get better and definitely are excited that you're a part of this community.

Katherine: Well as people are also transitioning to Flagstaff often time, we do have some local students but most of our transfer students are coming from outside of Flagstaff. What are things that you've enjoyed about living in Flagstaff? Maybe favorite places to eat?

Pete: Well, what I love about Flagstaff is well, first people are very welcoming. Secondly, you can drive pretty much 20 minutes in any direction and be a brand-new place to go on a hike in the woods. I love being outdoors. And then let's see, the four seasons. I'm a, I'm a big fan of that. Something about growing up in Ohio and seeing the four seasons and just being part of my disposition is something I really appreciate about Flagstaff. And so those are the things about Flagstaff. Places to eat? There's so many options. Fat Olives, love going there. It seems like you know it's more of a family-friendly, hey let's go there. Beaver Street Brewery is a favorite of mine. But you know the other nice thing is like grilling out in the Summer in Flagstaff is pretty darn phenomenal. 

Katherine: Wonderful. Well, thank you for being here today. 

Pete: Thank you for having me!