Many military-connected students at Golden Gate University study online and live far from San Francisco. That flexibility makes school possible around a full-time job or a duty schedule. It can also make it harder to find someone who has walked the same path.
GGU's Veteran Ambassadors help close that gap. They are current GGU students with prior military service, and they work alongside the Helen Diller Center for Veterans of U.S. Military Service to support other military-connected students from their first questions through graduation. Ambassadors are hired through the VA Work-Study Program, so supporting fellow students is part of their job at GGU.
Who the Veteran Ambassadors are
The current team includes Army and Air Force veterans who served in roles ranging from combat medic to first sergeant. Several have already earned GGU degrees and are working on another. They live in different parts of the country, so they know what it takes to finish a GGU program remotely while working and raising a family.
You can read each ambassador's background on the Veteran Ambassadors page.
What an ambassador can help with
Ambassadors are peers, so the conversation is informal. Students often reach out with questions like these:
How to get started with VA education benefits and which Diller Center staff to contact
What a typical week of online coursework looks like alongside a full-time job
How to meet other military-connected students in your program
Which resources can help with career planning before graduation
Ambassadors work closely with Diller Center staff and GGU's School Certifying Officials. When a question needs an official answer, such as how a course change affects your benefits, they will point you to the right office.
Ways to connect virtually
You do not need to be in San Francisco to reach the team.
Email dillercenter@ggu.edu. Ambassadors answer this inbox, so just reach out with your question.
Call the Diller Center at (415) 369-5204.
Join the GGU Military Facebook group, where ambassadors help answer posts and share news.
Attend New Student Orientation and other Diller Center events, where ambassadors take part.
Ways to connect in person
Online classes make it possible to study around work and family. Even so, they can feel a little detached. In-person classes offer a richer kind of interaction, but they require a fixed campus schedule that many working adults cannot keep.
GGU's hybrid programs combine the two. Once each term, hybrid students spend a full, immersive day on campus at Campus Weekend. The programming supports your coursework and builds on the connections you have already made online, so classmates you know from discussion boards become people you have worked with face to face.
Campus Weekend takes place at GGU's Lake Merced campus in San Francisco. You choose either the Saturday or the Sunday session, and that one day covers the on-campus requirement for all of your hybrid courses that term. Check the GGU calendar for upcoming dates and the Campus Weekend page for the schedule and registration details. Campus Weekend is open to hybrid students only, so online students can rely on the virtual options above.
Make the most of your Campus Weekend session in five ways:
Before you go, attend a virtual Diller Center Campus Weekend Pre-Brief for military students. Veteran Ambassadors join these sessions to give advice from a student's perspective, including tips on travel and parking, and on how to plan your day so you leave with new connections.
Come early for the optional interactive breakfast.
Use the interactive lunch to sit with someone new, or with a classmate you have only met online.
Stay for the Saturday evening reception, which is open to students registered for either day.
Exchange contact information with classmates during the academic sessions so the connection continues after you head home.
Start with one conversation
A short email or a post in the Facebook group is enough to get started. A conversation with someone who has made the same transition can save you hours of searching on your own.
Visit the Veteran Ambassadors page to meet the team, or email dillercenter@ggu.edu to connect with an ambassador.
