CU Denver program helps veteran students transition to business world

Mike Petschel, an Army veteran who will graduate Saturday from the University of Colorado Denver with a pair of master's degrees, stands in the Boots to Suits office on campus. The ex-infantryman helped develop the program. (AAron Ontiveroz, The Denver Post)

Former Army infantryman Mike Petschel says the overriding message of the military is "team" — to the point where the word "individual" carries very negative connotations.

So what happens after soldiers return to school after completing their service? How do they choose classes or pick a major or know where to go for help, whether it's getting a tuition bill paid or finding a printer? How do they go from there to the next step — writing a résumé and searching for a job?

"To come from that environment, where you never do anything alone, to this one, where you're basically by yourself and alone, is pretty daunting for a lot of guys," Petschel said. "The business world is just different."

But he says he's a lot better off now than he was a few years ago.

That's in part because of Boots to Suits, a program he helped develop to assist veteran students with the transition from the military to school and then establishing a career in the civilian world.

Boots to Suits is already making an impact locally, and the hope is to eventually do the same nationally.

"We're going to have a big problem with people getting out of the military as the war winds down," said Petschel, who will graduate Saturday from the University of Colorado Denver with a pair of master's degrees in business administration. "Veterans are going to have trouble finding jobs, and businesses are going to have trouble employing veterans. We want to create an open dialogue — tell them what we can bring to the workforce, while at the same time learn what they're looking for and what their future needs are."

Since February, Boots to Suits has paired veteran students with mentors from local companies such as Coors Brewing, with more contacts being developed through connections with the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce and other organizations.

Boots to Suits director Izzy Abbass says veterans aren't the only ones searching American HomecomingsAmerican Homecomings websiteFind resources for veteransAbout American HomecomingsRead more Veterans' StoriesRead Veterans NewsSubscribe to American HomecomingsAre you a veteran? If you have a photo to share from your time away or your time back home, email it to us. (Be sure to include your name, where you live and a description of the moment captured in the photo)Subscribe to American Homecomings

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"It used to be that everyone knew someone who was in the military — that's not the case any more," said Abbass, a Gulf War veteran. "So now, you get situations where business people are coming up to me and going, 'What do I say to a veteran? How do I talk to him?' "

There was a student organization for veterans when Petschel enrolled at CU Denver, but it had grown dormant — and there certainly wasn't any outlet to help them with areas such as networking or career advice.

A group of veterans got together and developed three goals: creating a veteran student center on campus, helping the transition into the workforce and creating college credit for military experience.

A little more than two years later, each goal has been accomplished.

The Office of Veteran Student Services now houses the largest student group on campus, with Boots to Suits at its center.

Still, there's plenty more to be done, Petschel says.

More people are willing to serve as mentors than veteran students have signed up, so Abbass is calling every junior and senior veteran at the school to let them know about the opportunity.

Petschel also has scheduled meetings with vets on the Boulder campus, hoping to take Boots to Suits to the entire University of Colorado system.

"After that, maybe we can shoot it out across the country, create a database," he said. "In the military, you're a transient individual, with the government moving you around every few years, so you may have a veteran from Seattle, but he served his time in Fort Bragg in North Carolina."

The program could help a student veteran wishing to go home network to find academic connections and career mentors and, perhaps, job leads, Petschel said.

"The best thing we can be doing for each other is sharing information," Petschel said, "becoming a team again."

Anthony Cotton: 303-954-1292, acotton

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