Mary Galvan<\/a>, newly-appointed Military and Veteran Student Services Coordinator at Marymount University, wants to use her experience growing up in a Navy family to advocate for the military community on campus.<\/p>\nAs part of her new mission, Galvan has been busy preparing for Military\/Veteran Appreciation Week, which kicks off with a noon Mass on Monday, Nov. 6. The week honors past and present service members and will conclude with MU\u0092s annual Veteran\u0092s Day Luncheon on Friday, Nov. 10.<\/p>\n
\u0093We provide GI Bill benefits for anyone who is eligible,\u0094 Galvan said. \u0093But I want to reach out to the rest of the military community \u0096 even those who don\u0092t receive benefits \u0097 and let them know that we\u0092re here for them.\u0094<\/p>\n
Galvan was born in Virginia Beach and her father was a naval aviator who flew P-3 Orion sub hunters. The family moved with his assignments, which included stops in Brunswick, Maine, and Pax River, Maryland. He retired as a captain. A grandfather and an uncle were three star admirals.<\/p>\n
\u0093My family, going back generations, has been in the military and that\u0092s all I\u0092ve known,\u0094 said Galvan, a 2012 Marymount graduate with a degree in health sciences.<\/p>\n
She also knows the hardships military families can experience. A great uncle was a prisoner of war in Vietnam, an uncle was lost at sea in his fighter jet, and an aunt who was a Navy doctor died in an auto accident.<\/p>\n
\u0093I want students who are military family members to know that I\u0092m here for them and that I understand their situation,\u0094 she said. \u0093I\u0092ll be able to be with them, not just to process their benefits but to advocate for their needs. It\u0092s what I\u0092m passionate about.\u0094<\/p>\n
Her husband, Nicolas Galvan, is a Naval Academy graduate and a captain in the Marine reserves. He works for the Department of Defense as a logistics analyst at the Pentagon. While on active duty, he was stationed at Camp Pendleton and the couple lived in California for four years.<\/p>\n
Galvan graduated from St. Mary\u0092s Ryken, a Catholic high school in Leonardtown, Maryland, and planned to attend the Naval Academy until, during a summer visit, she realized she didn\u0092t feel the pull she\u0092d anticipated. Instead, she chose Marymount, which was recommended by her mother, who had attended for a semester and loved the school.<\/p>\n
\u0093Faith is very important to me and here you\u0092re surrounded by that,\u0094 she said.<\/p>\n
Galvan began her new job on Sept. 13 and has already lined up a full slate of campus activities for Military\/Veteran Appreciation week:<\/p>\n
\nMonday, Nov. 6: Recognition Day will include a noon Mass to honor past and present service members at the Sacred Heart of Mary Chapel on Marymount\u0092s main campus. A memorial board will be outside Gerard Hall 1020.<\/li>\n Tuesday, Nov. 7: Volunteers will write letters to deployed service members as part of Operation Gratitude.<\/li>\n Wednesday, Nov. 8: Family Member Appreciation Day will feature a spouse\/dependent forum at 6 p.m. in Gerard Private Dining Hall.<\/li>\n Thursday, Nov. 9: Volunteers will prep care packages for deployed service members on Any Soldier Day.<\/li>\n Friday, Nov. 10: A United States Marine Corps birthday cake-cutting ceremony will be held at 10 a.m. in Gerard Hall 1020. The Veteran\u0092s Day luncheon is at noon in Gerard Dining Hall and will feature a talk by retired Navy Capt. Bob Novak, vice president of Navy Programs Electronic Systems Sector, BAE Systems. It will also include a veterans recognition ceremony.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\nPhoto caption \nMary Galvan<\/strong> \n\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Mary Galvan, newly-appointed Military and Veteran Student Services Coordinator at Marymount University, wants to use her experience growing up in a Navy family to advocate for the military community on campus. As part of her new mission, Galvan has been busy preparing for Military\/Veteran Appreciation Week, which kicks off with a noon Mass on Monday, […]<\/p>\n
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