Student veteran Samuel Kennedy receives national presidential service award for work with Veterans@VT group

Melody Warnick

7 Nov 2024

Sam Kennedy, a student veteran in a blue blazer, stands in front of a building on Virginia Tech campus. — Sam Kennedy. Photo by Christina Franusich for Virginia Tech.

Samuel Kennedy’s first classes at Virginia Tech were worlds away from the roaring warships he once called home. But as the echoes of naval officers faded, replaced by the hum of eager discussions and the rustle of notebooks, he never lost sight of his fellow veterans.

In a ceremony held last month inside the historic Great Hall of the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., Kennedy became only the second student ever to receive the President’s Volunteer Service Award from the Student Veterans of America. The distinguished national award was signed by the president of the United States in recognition of Kennedy's 140-plus hours of service in 2024 as president of the Veterans@VT student organization.

Receiving the honor at the prestigious Student Veterans of America Leadership Institute, among industry leaders, government officials, and 62 other highly motivated student veterans, offered welcome validation for Kennedy's work to revive the nearly defunct Veterans@VT group into a thriving Student Veterans of America chapter. “At Virginia Tech, there has been a lot of veteran recognition, and it makes me really happy to see that,” he said. “But it is also cool to have a coin and a letter from the president of the United States saying, ‘Good job, you’re doing good work.’ It definitely keeps me going.”

Sam Kennedy in a suit poses in front of an imposing wood door in the White House, under the presidential seal of the United States, flanked by the U.S. flag and a flag with the presidential seal. — Sam Kennedy in the White House under the presidential seal during the Student Veterans of America Leadership Institute. Photo courtesy of Sam Kennedy.

Sam Kennedy, in a blue Navy jumpsuit, stands on the deck of an aircraft carrier next to an AV-8B Harrier II attack aircraft. — Sam Kennedy stands on the deck of an aircraft carrier next to an AV-8B Harrier II attack aircraft during his 2018 deployment. Photo courtesy of Sam Kennedy.

In the Navy

Kennedy’s desire to serve something greater than himself led him to enlist in the Navy right after high school in 2015. Over four years of service, his deployments took him across the world, from patrolling the Red Sea during turbulent times, to participating in NATO operations in the Arctic Circle, to showcasing military strength in the waters of Norway and Iceland.

The transition to civilian life at Virginia Tech in 2021 proved daunting. Determined to pursue a career in IT and cybersecurity, Kennedy enrolled in Pamplin’s business information technology cyber program, but he grappled with finding a sense of belonging as a nontraditional student. “It felt like I was on an island,” he said.

Revitalizing Veterans@VT

He was eager to connect with other veterans but found that Veterans@VT had languished during COVID. “I saw a void within the veteran group,” he said. “I knew we could reach a lot more people and do a lot more. I started asking, ‘If not me, then who?’” Soon he became the organization’s president.

Under his leadership, Veterans@VT evolved into a vital support network. The group now holds monthly events and hosted upwards of 150 people at its Military Appreciation Game football tailgate. For Veterans Day, the organization goes all out. “We call it Veterans Week,” Kennedy said. “We're doing stuff almost every single day.”

His efforts even caught the attention of Virginia Public Media. A filmmaker interviewed Kennedy on campus last year for a veteran-focused episode of the docuseries "Life in the Heartland." The Pamplin College of Business will screen the episode as part of its Veterans Day celebration.

In service of other veterans

Kennedy graduated with his bachelor’s degree in December and this summer started Pamplin’s Master of Information Technology program, ranked the No. 1 program of choice for veterans and No. 3 nationwide, according to the U.S News & World Report 2024 rankings.

School comes on top of a full-time job as a cybersecurity analyst at 1901 Group, but he still found time to launch a workplace chapter of a veteran organization and mentor veterans as they transition out of the military. “We need to volunteer, engage, and genuinely understand the challenges veterans face,” he said.

In addition to receiving his volunteer service recognition, Kennedy was nominated for the Student Veterans of America’s Student Veteran of the Year award. But he’ll miss the national convention because he’ll be on his honeymoon in Iceland with Mikayla Call, a Ph.D. candidate in fish and wildlife conservation at Virginia Tech. The two were married in October. It was a busy month for Kennedy.

No matter how busy he gets, he continues to prioritize leading and supporting other veterans. “I think about the incredible people I served with, and the sacrifices they made,” he said. “Defending our freedom is something I carry with pride.”

A'me Dalton from the Pamplin College of Business contributed to this story.

The Pamplin College of Business will honor Kennedy and other veterans at Heartland Heroes: A Veterans Day Tribute on Monday, Nov. 11, at 4 p.m. In addition to speakers, the event will include a showing of the veteran episode of Life in the Heartland. Register to join in person in 1045 Pamplin Hall or online.