Katherine: Well, welcome to the Transfer Talks Podcast. My name is Katherine Lawlor. I serve as the Transfer Jacks Coordinator in the Transfer and Online Connections department. So I'll go ahead and have you introduce yourself for the audience. Brandon: Cool, my name is Brandon Whiterock. I'm the Certifying Official for the Veteran Success Center. Katherine: Wonderful. Would you like to share anything about your undergraduate degrees and where you studied, anything when it comes to introducing yourself as a person? Brandon: Yeah, so I'm basically, so I come, I'm from an hour north of Flagstaff, on the Navajo Reservation in Tuba City, Arizona. I graduated high school at Tuba City High School. Then I attended Coconino Community College. Katherine: Great. Brandon: Then from there, I got my prerequisites done, my AJAG done. Then I transferred over to NAU, unfortunately, the year of COVID. And so I was able to do the online courses, the hybrid courses, the Zoom. And then after that, I graduated this past Spring, 2022, in a Bachelor's in Exercise Science. Katherine: Wonderful. Well, you're actually the third CCC to NAU student that I've interviewed. So it's great to see the local crowd coming to NAU and getting that experience as well. Brandon: Yeah. Katherine: All right. So what is one of your favorite memories at NAU? Brandon: Oh my gosh. I feel like one of my favorite memories has to be, I feel like when they had an Orientation, like it wasn't like, like I said, it was during a COVID year and like, they offered the like transfer students to go Orientation. And I went on Zoom and I was just like, saw a lot of my friends that had already like come here like a couple of years ago and stuff like that. And they were welcoming me and like helping me with other stuff. So it was really, it was a really great time like seeing them and like catching up with them too as well. So I feel like that was a great time during Orientation. Katherine: It's good to hear. Well, it doesn't have to be a transfer-related event. Is there any event that you think, that you attended as a student, which obviously you had a different experience because it was more so hybrid and virtual, that you really enjoyed during your transition to NAU? Brandon: I feel like one of the events that I enjoyed the most was probably, so I worked at the, as a student worker at the Veteran Success Center and they brought like different people in, different veterans and stuff like that. And there was one particular veteran who came in and he was one of the famous veterans from World War I. Katherine: Wow. Brandon: And so he came in and told his story and it was just amazing, just like seeing so much history in front of you and it's actually like, was it in front of, it wasn't in a book or told in a book, it was told like firsthand by him. So I feel like it was, it was really unique and awesome to hear his story. Katherine: It sounds unique, absolutely. And what did you like about the NAU environment compared to your time at CCC? Brandon: So at CCC, like it was a really small environment and I thought I would have liked that. And that's why I chose that route is because I wasn't sure if I was ready for university-level right after high school. And so as soon as I transferred over to NAU, it was a completely change. I was like, I like hanging around people a lot. I liked interacting with a lot of the veterans downstairs and I also liked interacting with a lot of the people at the Native American Center too as well. And just like running into different people at different events, like the basketball games or like Cline, and just like getting to know different people like outside of Arizona. Cause like, I just feel like that's all I've ever known to as well. Katherine: Makes sense. And it sounds like it provided you with more opportunities in general. Brandon: Definitely did. Katherine: All right, well, when you think about your previous school with CCC versus NAU in that transition time period, do you feel like there were any main challenges, other than obviously the pandemic, during that time period? I think, I feel like one of the only main challenges was for me example, I had military benefits. And so learning how to transfer those benefits over and learning what I had to do was kind of a struggle because again, when I was back at the community college, I didn't really communicate with anyone. I was kind of more reserved with myself. I would go to school, the tutoring center, do homework, then I'd just go home. So like, I was like, kind of like kept in my shell. But then as soon as I got to NAU, I kind of explored a little bit more and kind of knew that. So when I first came to NAU, I didn't know about different types of opportunities I had with tutoring or didn't, but then like different services within NAU. So I wish I knew more about that coming in before like that. Katherine: Makes sense. Brandon: Yeah. Katherine: Well, when you think about being a transfer graduate at this point, are there anyone that you want to give a shout-out to as far as who really helped you with that journey? Brandon: Oh, wow. I would have to like thank my family and friends so much because they're always on my back supporting me and like encouraging me to actually finish school because I did take a gap year after when I was at the community college. Katherine: Ok. Brandon: Just to kind of focus and see and reevaluate if this is really what I want to do. And so that kind of inspired me to go back to school and actually finish. And so I really want to thank them a lot. And then also the Veterans Success Center too as well. Katherine: Absolutely. Brandon: Because I was a student worker there. And like, it kind of helped me find what I wanted to do in life and like out like my passion. Because I'm a military dependent. My mother served in the military. Katherine: Wonderful. Brandon: And so basically it was just like kind of provided like that important step in my life where I was like, ok, I want to try my best to give back to Veterans any way I can. And I majored in Exercise Science to do so to become an Occupational Therapist, to eventually do that in the future. But as I'm planning to do that and go to grad school, I feel like this is a perfect opportunity for NAU to help me do this and stuff like that. Katherine: Sounds like for that career it usually takes a lot of time, even money to prepare for that because grad school fees. Even when you're in grad school, sometimes people save up for that experience because you'll be in for that type of doctoral program. Is that, what the route you're looking for? Brandon: Yeah. Katherine: Yeah. It usually takes several years to be a part of that. Brandon: Yeah. Katherine: Well, good luck to you. That sounds very exciting. What type of advice would you give to a new incoming transfer student? Brandon: I would just say to branch out anywhere and like don't feel like shy or like excluded from anywhere on campus. Because like I literally would go to different parts of the building and be like, and ask for like help for different types of like resources and stuff like that. And like, everyone here on campus, like all faculty is just so nice. And they're just like willing to help the students out as much as they can. So just don't be afraid to go out there and just like reach out to everyone. Katherine: That's so great to hear. Well, let's see. If there was anything when you think about that first semester of your transfer transition, is there anything you would do differently? Brandon: Just besides the hybrid. Katherine: Yes. Brandon: The hybrid classes, I feel like another group I forgot to mention that helped me a lot was the NACP organization here on campus, the Native American Cancer Prevention. So they did have something called the NAU2 Bridges Program. And so basically, it was a community college. Are they looking for students at the community college? And they do a summer program for the students there to transfer over to NAU. So it was a really good program and I really enjoyed that a lot. And that kind of opened the, the doorway for a sense to help me to get to know people around NAU, to know the staff and faculty, especially in like my major that I was going for. So likemeeting different professors and meeting different like faculty members that would help me and like help pursue me and give me recommendations and stuff like that would really help a lot. Katherine: Sounds like that's going to help you with grad school. Brandon: Yeah. Katherine: For sure. Well, any type of favorite activity? You mentioned some sporting events. So it doesn't have to be necessarily from one of our departments. But what are things that you enjoyed for your personal time? Not just academic goals or anything like that. But if you're looking to have fun at NAU, what type of events would you recommend? Brandon: I would recommend, I believe it was, what was it? The first week. Katherine: Welcome Week. Brandon: Welcome Week. Yeah. Katherine: Yes. Brandon: So Welcome Week, there's so many things to do, especially the scavenger hunt they have down by the Union. Or the Disc Golf event that the Veterans Service puts on. It's just so much fun. You can literally find like an event every day or almost every hour. So that's what I really enjoyed about that week. And it's just getting to find different people and meet new different people too as well. Katherine: Awesome. Well, we're getting ready to close up our time talking with each other. But I happen to remember that you won an award here. So would you like to share anything about the award you won as you were graduating here? Brandon: Yeah, so basically, again, my mother served in the military. And I wanted to give back to the, not only the veteran community, but I want to give back to the NAU community as well. And so basically, I created an event. And at that time, we were still kind of doing hybrid events with Zoom. And so I decided, I was talking to one of the Assistant Director at the Veterans Success Center. I was asking, what if we do an event that will incorporate the positivity on veterans and what they've gone through, their life events, especially associated with the students who are using the GI Bill here on campus? But not only provide it strictly to veterans but open up to the campus too as well. And it was a really hard factor because there was still, at the times, we would have it at the Native American Center, which I'm so thankful for that they would just have it there too as well. It's a beautiful building. Katherine: Absolutely. Brandon: But the time, it was kind of rough because it was between four and five. And everyone was still like, had that last hour of work. And I was just like, well, to make it better, we can offer it on Zoom. And to have a Zoom event, I can also invite people that's outside of the state. So some of the famous veterans I was able to talk to and thankful that I know because my mother is, his name is Desmond Doss Jr. And so his father was Desmond Doss, who served in the military as a medic. And so they made the movie Hacksaw Ridge about him. Another veteran I invited was Chris Spence. He is the one that photographed the soldiers on horses in 12 Strong. And another veteran from Oklahoma, his name is Michael Kuhn Jr. And his father is one of the POWs in the Bataan Death March. Katherine: Wow. Brandon: And so just hearing different, like I said, just like, and I got this from the event from the Veterans Center when the other young gentleman, I think it's Pintacotti, he came into the Veterans Center and told his story. And I was like, it would be awesome to hear more people like him come into the Flagstaff community and just tell their story. And like, it's great reading it from a book. But when you're sitting there in person and you're hearing someone talk like that, you can hear the true emotions they spill out and the true like, just like the emotion, the evidence. And like, even more behind the story that you can't find in a book. And so like, when they came and they talked, it was such a wonderful event. And we actually had them even, some of them even spoke about their time going to school and using their GI bill. So it was really beneficial too as well. And I had no idea that I was going to get the Gold Axe Award. I just like did this because like, I wanted to help the community out as much as I can and give back to veterans too as well. Katherine: I'm glad you're recognized for it. It's always great to be part of that 1%of the graduating class that receives the Gold Axe Award, especially as a transfer student and representing that population as well. But you represent multiple populations. So I'm sure it was an honor for many of those populations you represent. And you're the second military-connected student that we've had. So one was a veteran and now you're a military dependent. And so we're kind of showing that wide variety of the military-connected experience. And that's actually why Veterans Success Center has a mentoring program, the Vet Jacks program, to make sure you all get the correct information about the GI bill. Because we can provide transfer events that, that the military-connected students can attend. But ultimately, we don't know the GI bill as well as your team does. Brandon: Yeah. Katherine: So you make sure they get the right information. Brandon: I mean, even sometimes we are like, they'll ask us questions, we'll be like, oh, I don't know. We have to ask someone else. Because there's always so many opportunities. The student dependents can have with the spouses. And they can either sack on benefits or even add benefits in different type of ways. And they're just like, we never heard of this, but we'll find out more information for you. Katherine: That's good. Brandon: And so, yeah. Katherine: Well, we think about the area of Flagstaff. Is there anywhere that you really like to eat here? Brandon: I think my go-to spot after, it was always after finals, I would go to Flame Broiler. Katherine: Ok, cool. Brandon: Yeah, I really enjoyed that a lot. Katherine: Well, wonderful. I appreciate your time here today. Brandon: Thank you. Katherine: And I think this is going to be a great opportunity for people to hear your story and be able to share for others who are considering the transfer route as well. Brandon: Yeah.