How to Highlight Veteran Success Stories on Campus

Across higher education, there's growing recognition that veteran students bring invaluable perspectives, leadership, and resilience to campus life. Yet too often, their stories of academic, personal, and professional success remain untold.

For enrollment and marketing teams, showcasing veteran success is not only a feel-good effort but a strategic one. Authentic storytelling builds trust with prospective students, strengthens campus culture, and reinforces an institution's commitment to military-connected students. The question is: how can colleges and universities do it well?

Here are five approaches to bring those stories to life.

1. Feature Veterans Across Multiple Media Channels

Start with the basics. Highlight veteran voices across existing institutional platforms. Feature profiles on your website, student blog, and social media. Short-form videos, day-in-the-life photo essays, or brief Q&As can make a powerful impression without requiring heavy production needs.

Maintain authenticity by avoiding over-editing or overly promotional tones. Prospective military-affiliated students respond best to genuine stories told in the students' own words.

2. Integrate Veteran Narratives Into Recruitment and Onboarding

Go beyond the marketing page. Incorporate veteran success stories into admissions presentations, virtual info sessions, and new-student orientation materials. When prospective students hear directly from those who've successfully navigated similar paths, it builds credibility and confidence.

Even subtle integrations, such as direct quotes in application follow-ups or brief testimonials in email campaigns, can make a lasting impression.

3. Launch a "Veteran Voices" Digital Series (An Innovative Twist)

One emerging strategy is to create an ongoing digital storytelling series. Consider creating short audio or video segments that spotlight different veterans each month. These can live on YouTube, LinkedIn, or your institution's own channels.

Rather than focusing solely on academic achievements, highlight multidimensional success. Showcase the multi-faceted nature of life as a military-connected student: balancing service transitions, family life, internships, or community involvement. This approach shows that your institution values the whole student journey, not just the transcript.

4. Use Interactive Campus Spaces to Tell the Story

Colleges are starting to explore immersive storytelling on campus with digital walls, touchscreen kiosks, or rotating displays that feature spotlights on veteran students. Imagine a visitor entering your student center and encountering an interactive map of veteran alumni making an impact around the world.

These physical storytelling spaces, which merge tradition and technology, have the potential to transform student recognition into a living part of the campus identity.

5. Partner With Veteran Alumni for Long-Term Storytelling

Veteran alumni can become some of your most compelling ambassadors. Create opportunities for them to share experiences through panels, mentoring programs, or online alumni features. Their voices not only inspire current students but also affirm the lifelong value of your institution's support for military-affiliated learners.

This kind of continuity helps prospective students see a clear path from application to career success, reinforcing the authenticity of your institutional brand.

Want to showcase your veterans’ stories with authenticity and impact?Let’s work together to craft strategies that make their success shine.