Odds are, you know Carlos Moreira, director of campus engagement for veteran success and alumni affairs, and his newest hire Ashlie Cruz. That’s because Moreira and Cruz are everywhere. Together, they make up the Office of Veteran Success at USF Sarasota-Manatee, where they provide military-connected students with the support they need to excel academically and professionally.
“The Office of Veteran Success strives to make sure our military-connected students are successful during their academic journey and with the next chapter of their lives, whether that is continuing education or employment,” said Moreira, a veteran of the U.S. Marines.
While their mission may be simple, it’s no easy feat. At 1,400 students, USF is home to one of the largest student veteran populations in the state. An additional 5,300 students are dependents of a veteran or someone in the military, bringing USF’s overall military-connected population to 6,725 individuals. On the Sarasota-Manatee campus, some 10% of the students are military-connected — meaning they are either a veteran, on active duty, in the reserves or National Guard or their parents or other family member served.
To ensure the success of this student population, Moreira and Cruz create authentic relationships and growth opportunities by recreating the camaraderie veterans experience during service. They attend job fairs, host community outreach events and organize an annual ceremony remembering victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and paying tribute to survivors, first responders, members of the military and their families.
It doesn’t hurt that Moreira is also deeply embedded in the local alumni network.
“Carlos knows everyone,” Cruz said. “That’s a big part of the reason we’re able to connect our student veterans with the right opportunities.”
Cruz, a veteran of the U.S. Navy, draws on her own experience transitioning out of the military when helping military connected students at USF Sarasota-Manatee navigate academic life and apply for benefits, including the GI Bill.
For Cruz, who is working on a second bachelor’s degree and plans to attend medical school in the near future, the connections she has made will enable her to make a greater impact when she enters the medical field as a trauma surgeon.
“It offers me the chance to work with a community I want to help in the future and to understand the issues we all seem to face,” Cruz said.
USF earned the Collegiate Purple Star Campus designation for its continued commitment to supporting military families in March. To learn more about the Office of Veterans Success at USF Sarasota-Manatee, email sm-veteransuccess@usf.edu.