OSU symposium brings together female veterans

Thursday, March 7, 2019

Oklahoma State University’s fourth annual Women Veterans Symposium brings together women for a day of discussing mental, nutritional and personal wellness while connecting with others who serve or have served in the military.

The free event will be from 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. March 9 at the Wes Watkins Center on the OSU-Stillwater campus. Female veterans, National Guardsmen, reservists, active duty military and ROTC cadets in Oklahoma are invited. Breakfast and lunch are provided. Reserve a spot by emailing militaryveterans@okstate.edu.

“This event is designed to not only inform our veterans and other military-affiliated women, but to allow them to also meet some of their peers and initiate or further develop relationships within the women veterans community,” said Rick Hansen, coordinator of OSU’s Student Veteran Academic Services, which runs the event with the Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs’ women veterans programs.

Attendees will learn about available programs and benefits and have the opportunity to get claims assistance from a veterans resource officer.

Keynote speaker Kate Tillotson, the 2017 Student Veterans of America’s national Student Veteran of the Year and University of Tulsa graduate, will address the group.

Tillotson joined the Marine Corps in 2007 and served four years. She worked as a field radio operator at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, and deployed to Iraq for nine months.

Tillotson helped grow TU’s Student Veteran Association and worked to make sure resources were available to meet the needs of student veterans.

The event will conclude with motivational speaker Command Master Chief Ebony Pinnock, who has served 20 years in the Navy and is currently assigned to Fleet Air Reconnaissance Squadron Seven at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma City.