VMRC Intern Stephen Szczurko-Walton Creates Community for Military-Affiliated Students

(SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY — March 18, 2025) At Empire State University, the Veteran and Military Resource Center (VMRC) has a singular goal: to enhance the experience of the university’s thousand-plus military-affiliated students.  

“It’s our mission and our passion to serve veterans, and a lot of the people who work here are veterans,” says Bethany Hicks, the center’s assistant director for military academic and student services, who spent five years in the Army before pursuing a career in higher education. “[We] really want to help and support [them].” 

It’s a charge that Stephen Szczurko-Walton has taken to heart since joining the VMRC team as an intern in February. Employed at the center as part of SUNY’s Veterans Enrollment and Support Internship Program, the graduate student—who’ll complete Empire’s M.P.A. program later this year—works closely with Hicks on efforts designed to boost engagement and retention among members of the university’s military community.  

“As we’ve started to dig into it, there’s this recognition that a lot of these students come in with a lot of credits, so the turnover is really high,” says Szczurko-Walton, a veteran who first enrolled at Empire while wrapping up a nine-year stint as a nuclear reactor operator for the Navy. “Trying to figure out how we can keep military students engaged and accessing the resources that are available to them and which they’re so deserving of is really important.” 

Szczurko-Walton’s work continues the efforts initially kicked off by Adam Woodcock, the SUNY Empire student and president of the university’s Student Veterans Club who served as VRMC’s first intern from September through December 2024. During his time with the VMRC, Woodcock helped launch the center’s “Student Veteran of the Month” highlight initiative and the military-affiliated student newsletter, among many other tasks.  

As for the contributions of Szczurko-Walton, who’ll be interning through May, one major project includes deploying a survey to all military-affiliated students to better understand the types of information they’re looking for and the best way to deliver it. The intern also recently traveled to Washington D.C., where he represented SUNY Empire and Student Veterans of America—the organization responsible for organizing the trip—at an event known as Washington Week. There, he met with staffers from the offices of Rep. Paul Tonko and senators Kirsten Gillibrand and Chuck Schumer, discussing everything from the shortcomings of the GI Bill’s current housing allowance to expanding tuition assistance for active-duty students.  

“They heard me out and were really receptive to the ideas that we presented,” he says. “It was a really wonderful opportunity.” 

Advocating on behalf of his fellow military-affiliated learners is important for Szczurko-Walton, who—like Woodcock before him—is dedicated to fostering a sense of community among this special portion of the student population. It’s especially important to reach student veterans, he says, given the unique challenges they face as they transition back to school and civilian life.  

“The transition is, on an emotional level, harder than most people realize. It’s a shift in identity and you have to redefine yourself in a way that is substantial and that you might not have totally acknowledged before,” Szczurko-Walton says, adding that finding a sense of community is crucial in overcoming this obstacle. “Leverage the VMRC. We’re a resource for a reason, so just reach out to us.”