05/25/2026
A message from our Veterans Resource Center Manager, Kethric Cottrell: Memorial Day isn’t just a long weekend. It’s a moment of truth. It’s the day we pause, and I mean really pause, to honor the men and women who never made it home, and the families who carry their stories forward with a strength most people will never see.
On our campus, we walk beside Veterans every day. Some served with those we remember. Some carry the weight of loss quietly. I know I carry the weight of my brothers and sisters I lost in combat and in garrison. Some of us are still learning how to live in a world our friends gave their lives to protect. Memorial Day matters to us. And it should matter to everyone.
So, before the barbecues, before the road trips, before the noise of the weekend takes over, I’m asking our campus community to take a breath, reflect, and acknowledge the sacrifice that allows us to learn, to gather, to dream freely. Because appreciation isn’t about grand gestures, it’s about awareness. It’s about choosing not to forget.
To the families who have lost someone in service: we see you. To the Veterans who carry the memories of those who didn’t return: we honor you. And to our campus community: thank you for taking this Memorial Day seriously and for choosing remembrance over routine.
May we spend this Memorial Day with gratitude, with intention, and with the understanding that freedom has never been free.
