Serving Those Who Serve brunch scheduled for Monday

The fourth annual "Serving Those Who Serve" brunch at Purdue University Fort Wayne will be Monday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the International Ballroom at Walb Student Union. Sponsored by Military Student Services, the event honors members of the campus community who are veterans and those in service-orientated degree programs and professions such as first response, social work, law enforcement, healthcare, and education.

Everyone on campus is welcome to take part.

"We want to not only bring in our veterans, but we want the whole community to understand that we want to honor those who serve in any fashion," said Nicole Welsh, senior compliance officer.

Military Student Services has certified more than 200 military-affiliated students taking classes this fall and believes there could be another 200 on campus. PFW recently advanced from bronze to silver status as a "Military Friendly Campus" by VIQTORY.com, which publishes G.I. Jobs magazine. The evaluation is done using public data sources, feedback from student veterans, and responses to proprietary data-driven surveys from participating institutions.

PFW has recently added a Student Veterans of America chapter led by Jamie Ewell, a junior majoring in electrical engineering who serves as club president. Ewell is also a program coordinator in MSS.

After serving seven years in the U.S. Army, Ewell enrolled at PFW in the fall of 2023 at age 25. He played a major role in PFW's recent Military Appreciation Day and delivered the keynote speech. He'll play a similar role at Monday's brunch.

"Other people serve in different ways, and I don't think it is just the military," Ewell said. "They serve through police, fire, nurses, doctors-anyone who puts their community and serves others before themselves deserves that recognition. Everyone is invited to come eat and relax with them because it's not about the individual but the community that they are serving. That's why everyone should be involved in this event."