Kyle Potratz said that the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s Military and Veteran Success Center helped him get acclimated to life on campus after serving in the United States Armed Forces. Now, as a work study mentor in the center, the senior from Spearfish, South Dakota, helps fellow student veterans get important resources they need to succeed across academics and life as a Husker.
“The transition from service to civilian life is pretty tough in general,” Potratz said. “I found the biggest hurdle to be finding a sense of belonging after having so much structure.”
From helping to navigate the ins and outs of the G.I. Bill to needing a quiet place to study, Potratz said the Military and Veterans Success Center operates as a catch-all for student veterans’ needs in helping them overcome these same hurdles.
“It’s the ability to be around people that have had similar experiences that’s been really meaningful,” he said. “Whether it’s me coming to someone with a question or, in my role now, my ability to help someone out and get a question answered is a great feeling.”
Potratz joined the Marine Corps after high school, stationed for a time in Twentynine Palms, California, before serving at U.S. embassies in Nicaragua, Kenya and the Netherlands. After completing his service and arriving at Nebraska to study actuarial science, Potratz said the center made a huge impact on his transition and made the process smoother.
“The biggest resource that helped me when I came to UNL was the broad knowledge that the people in the MVSC have,” he said. “Obviously, there are always going to be a lot of questions when starting school that student veterans might not know the answers to, and the MSVC is a great place to find them.”
Potratz’s role also includes playing a part in honoring Nebraskans who’ve served, helping connect veterans across generations.
“At every football game, they honor a veteran,” he said. “One of my responsibilities is to escort them around the stadium. It’s a great chance to talk with them and just learn about their lives. It’s very humbling and another thing I appreciate about the MVSC — they provide a lot of great opportunities.”
