By Satyne Doner, Arts & Culture Editor
Leslie Coffey, the vice president of military engagement for American Corporate Partners (ACP), is a woman dedicated to goals. Specifically, she seeks to help others achieve their lifelong dreams. On Feb. 1, Coffey joined both the Saint Leo Office of Military Affairs and Services and the WorldWide Student Life Department for an online seminar entitled “Conversations about Success Beyond Service.”
This webinar series provides a chance for servicemembers, student veterans, and other military-connected students to network and open conversations about their careers after service. This webinar’s topic spoke on “Enhancing Your Outcomes Through Mentorship.”
To prepare for the online event, the Office of Student Activities sent a link for Saint Leo community members to join via Zoom inside of their weekly Student Activities Newsletter.
Coffey kicked off the webinar with a brief introduction to ACP, a national nonprofit that uses the practice of mentorship to help veterans in their transition from the military to the civilian workforce. They offer mentoring, career counseling, and networking services.
“93 percent of Americans have never served,” said Coffey. “So, you’re speaking a different language. Sometimes communicating everything you did in the military will take someone to help communicate your value. That’s what our mentors (at ACP) are there to help with.”
According to Coffey’s PowerPoint presentation during the online seminar, the average starting salary for a veteran who used an ACP Mentor was $93,000.
ACP helps veterans translate military experience into civilian terms, improve resumes, search for jobs, build networks, and select a career field within their skillset. It helps veterans navigate the sometimes-scary transition back into civilian life.
Anyone who is interested in ACP and what they offer is encouraged to follow them on LinkedIn and Facebook. Additionally, ACP offers a LinkedIn group called “ACP Connects.” These are great spaces for fellow veterans to connect and grow their network.
“The mentors (at ACP) want to help someone from their community succeed,” said Coffey. “This is them saying ‘thank you’ for your service.”
In all, the event was a real eye-opener for the opportunities that our amazing community of veterans at Saint Leo have access to. It just goes to show how supportive Saint Leo is of our military and webinars like these are a huge help to veterans ready to make that leap back into civilian life.
