Program Overview
The Veterans Oral History Program at San Diego State University was developed to collect and preserve the dynamic experiences of the campus’ military-connected community. The goals of the Veterans Oral History Program are to:
(1) bridge the civilian-military gap
(2) offer a safe and welcoming venue for individual reconciliation, and
(3) generate a bank of experiences for future generations to review and from which to learn about the impact of military service over time.
Through generous support of the SDSU President’s Leadership Fund, these program goals will provide San Diego State University’s military-connected students an increased sense of welcoming, support, and focus while pursuing their academic studies. Additionally, military-affiliated alumni will have an opportunity to share their experiences, in turn providing virtual mentorship for the next generation of SDSU Aztecs. This student success will lead to greater community engagement (i.e. SDSU alumni, civic agencies, private industry, etc.) as well as research opportunities to improve pedagogical methods on campus, along with identifying shifts in long-term trends of military stressors and their impacts on the individual, their families, and society.
The Veterans Oral History Program consists of the following three key elements:
Oral History Interviews – one-on-one interviews sharing and individuals personal experiences of military service
Group Dialogues – small group discussions sharing the dynamic and diverse impact of military service
History 390W – “The Writing of War, Remembrance, and Reconciliation” – a writing course offered through the SDSU History Department open to any student regardless of military affiliation
Participation is voluntary and at no time will personal identifiable or confidential information be shared with third parties or outside agencies. Please contact us at vohp@sdsu.edu for additional information.
Meet The Team
Hayley Foster
Hayley is an active volunteer with the Joan and Art Barron Veterans Center (JABVC) at San Diego State University. She received her M.A. in Postsecondary Educational Leadership (Student Affairs) from SDSU in the summer of 2017. Her research efforts focused on military and veteran students and the programs that contribute to their success on campus. Along with her colleague, Dr. Mark Tucker, she presented her research, Supporting Student Veteran Success Through Assessment, at the 2018 NASPA Symposium for Military-Connected Students in New Orleans.
As part of her oral history training, Hayley completed a week-long “Amplifying Unheard Voices” workshop through Voice of Witness in San Francisco. She now serves as co-developer of the Veterans Oral History program, as well as a member of the Military Ally presentation team and a committee member for the Women Veterans Success Program.
Hayley works at SDSU in the College of Education Office of Student Services, where she advises prospective students interested in the teacher credential programs, processes applications for admission, and oversees the day-to-day operations of the office.
Todd Kennedy
As Interim Director of the Military and Veterans Program at San Diego State University, Todd oversees the services provided to all military-connected students at the University. This includes the Joan and Art Barron Veterans Center which serves as the hub for all military-connected student support services on campus. Additionally, it includes all aspects of the military benefit programs for SDSU’s undergraduate and graduate veterans, active duty military, reservists, and dependents. In addition to his work as an oral historian and program manager, he is a developer and co-presenter of the Military Ally seminar program which provides insight into and awareness of the unique characteristics and system structures of the veteran and military-connected community.
He came to San Diego State University following a 22-year career in the United States Marine Corps and completed his undergraduate degree in History (summa cum laude) in 2016. It was while pursuing his undergraduate studies that Todd completed an internship at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot Command Museum and became involved in the collection of oral histories. He has since participated in oral history training at the University of California-Berkley and is a co-developer of the Veterans Oral History Program at San Diego State.
He is a past-president of the Student Veteran Organization at SDSU; maintains involvement in a number of volunteer and philanthropic ventures; and stays committed to the overall academic success, professional development, and personal growth of today’s military and veteran students. Todd is currently pursuing his graduate degree in Anthropology where his research interests include the factors that influence the identity of the military and veteran population.
Jeremy Mazur
As a student veteran, Jeremy is part of the US Department of Veterans Affairs Work-Study Program where he focuses primarily on special projects and events for the Joan and Art Barron Veteran Center at San Diego State University (SDSU). He served five years in the Marine Corps as an aviation electrician on F/A-18s and is currently finishing his undergraduate degree in history at SDSU. Jeremy’s primary areas of academic interest are 20th century American history as well as Cold War history. While at SDSU, he has taken part in an internship program at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot, San Diego, Command Museum, as well as volunteering at the Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum.
Jeremy previously served in officer positions in San Diego Miramar College’s Student Veteran Organization (SVO) and currently serves as both the secretary of SDSU’s SVO and the vice president of Phi Alpha Theta’s Beta Kappa chapter. In addition to his volunteer experience with Veterans Oral History Program at SDSU, he worked with oral histories at the MCRD Command Museum, specifically in reviewing, editing, and summarizing the transcriptions.
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