Veterans Center celebrates graduates, milestone of supporting 20,000 military-affiliated students

Tempe, Ariz., December 10, 2024 – The Pat Tillman Veterans Center at Arizona State University will honor the 714 graduating student veterans this fall semester with its biannual Honor Stole Ceremony on Dec. 14, 10 a.m., in Grady Gammage Auditorium here.

This semester’s celebration marks a significant milestone as the Tillman Center continues its mission by now supporting more than 20,000 military-affiliated students, a new achievement that underscores its commitment to serving those who have served.

“Helping veterans achieve success from transitioning to ASU and then on to a career is at the heart of what we do,” said Shawn Banzhaf, Pat Tillman Veterans Center executive director. “We are driven every day by our center’s namesake, Pat Tillman, and the values he embodied—selfless service, academic excellence, and the drive to make a positive impact. 

“It’s an honor to support the journey of all of our military-affiliated students as we strive to provide them with the tools for lifelong success.”

This semester’s ceremony will feature keynote speaker Bob Beard and student speaker Javier Aguirre.

Beard is a Marine Corps veteran and double ASU alumnus. He is currently the senior manager for communications and engagement at ASU’s Center for Science and the Imagination. He is co-editor of the book Imagining Transmedia from The MIT Press and is the creator and principal investigator of the Veterans Imagination Project, a research-based intervention designed to improve the experience of military-to-civilian transition using the tools of speculative fiction and strategic narrative foresight.

An immigrant from Mexico, Aguirre moved to the U.S. as a child and later returned to his birth country, where he was employed as a custodial worker for a time. He eventually returned to Arizona and enlisted in the Marines, rising to the rank of gunnery sergeant.  

Aguirre has been an on-campus student still on active duty participating in the Marine Corps Enlisted Commissioning Education Program, which allows top Marines to attend university full time with the goal of being commissioned as officers after graduation. Aguirre, a technological entrepreneurship major with a minor in real estate, has excelled academically, maintaining a 4.0 GPA as a student at Barrett, The Honors College.

The 714 graduating military-affiliated students include veterans, active duty, Guard and Reserve members. Their average cumulative GPA is 3.64.  An additional 501 military-affiliated family members are also graduating, totaling 1,215 military-connected learners.

During the Honor Stole Ceremony, student veterans attending the event are presented with a stole representing their branch of service and emblazoned with the Pat Tillman Veterans Center iconic Honor Patch. The stole can be worn with academic regalia during university commencement and other graduation ceremonies.