From Camouflage to Regalia: Student Veterans, Military Funds of Knowledge, and Critical Agency

Abstract

Student veterans are often viewed in popular culture with a deficit mindset. They are "wounded warriors" who are navigating mental health challenges, academically underprepared, and non-traditional students balancing other responsibilities beyond college. Despite potential lingering effects of military service, student veterans bring Funds of Knowledge (FOK) that are collective "assets" when enrolled in higher education. Military Funds of Knowledge is a new concept developed through qualitative, phenomenological interviews with 15 military service members enrolled in degree-seeking programs at 3 universities located within the state of Arizona. Military FOK include a sense of altruism (sacrificing self-interests for a greater good), task cohesion, collective mindset, problem-solving skills, and perseverance through challenges. When Military FOK are converted to sources of social and cultural capital, it can bolster student veterans’ academic success and integration within their colleges by positioning them to serve as change-agents within their campus and beyond.