Veterans Day on Rocky Top is a poignant reminder of the Volunteer spirit of service that the university’s culture promotes. This year, the day is especially notable as Kevin Ho, a junior supply chain management student in the Haslam College of Business, was named both the State of Tennessee’s Military Friendly Veteran of the Year and the 2025 Veteran of the Year for Higher Education.
Ho believes that although the Volunteer spirit was not something that he was aware of when he first arrived on campus, it has become something that he has found great importance and connection in.
“Having now been in these positions and understand about, like our values and what our school, like characterizes as a leader, it makes sense to me. And I don’t think that’s going to go anytime soon,” Ho said.
Joining the Army in 2016, Ho served as an infantryman in the 10th Mountain Division. Between 2017 and 2021, he was deployed to both West Africa and Afghanistan. After being discharged, he hoped that the skills he learned during his time in service would prepare him to enter the workforce. However, after spending a couple of years bouncing around trying to find a fit, he decided to give college a try, a first for his family.
“I decided, you know, might as well use my GI Bill benefits,” he recalled.
As a result of their military service, veterans are entitled to a number of benefits to help them return to civilian life. Collectively, these benefits are referred to as the GI Bill, named for the common nickname given to World War II servicemen for whom the original provisions were created.
Regarding his decision to attend the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Ho offered reasoning that may resonate with many students.
“My first squad leader, we’d used to watch Tennessee football games on our first deployment together. And that was like my first taste of it, and I thought it was really cool,” Kevin said.
Only having become aware of his admittance to the university two weeks before the start of classes, Ho had to scramble to find housing, register for classes and get all of the necessary boxes checked. Unlike his time in the military, he didn’t have a unit of people to support him. Fortunately, he quickly got in contact with the school’s Veteran Success Center who were able to provide much-needed help.
Kevin Ho works at the Veterans Success Center with his service dog Margie, Nov.10, 2025
Ho is still involved with the Veteran Success Center through his work-study program. Additionally, he is the president of the Student Veterans of America at the University of Tennessee, has served as a senator in the Student Government Association and is an active member of the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity.
As Ho understands, the transition from the tight-knit camaraderie of military service to the more independent college lifestyle can be difficult. Despite the challenges, Kevin has found community on campus and made it his goal to help other veterans in their journey.
It is because of this goal and his efforts to support veterans that he was named as the Tennessee Veteran of the Year by Military Friendly. Ho first learned of his nomination while working as a wilderness awareness instructor at a camp this past summer.
While he was excited about it, he remained grounded, noting that there were many other outstanding candidates. This attitude slowly grew more optimistic as he learned of his advances through the rounds and eventual reception of the awards. Overall, the experience strengthened his resolve to continue to support other veterans.
“Help out my fellow veteran Vols here and, you know, keep advocating for my community. Just keep moving forward. Using this as a stepping stone to continue and hopefully pursue further success empowering those around me,” Ho said.
In the case of other veterans considering college, he highlights the importance of getting engaged with the community and support networks.
“Truly, if you need any assistance or anything, along the lines of needing help or support, I recommend going to your local veteran services office. Luckily, here we have the Veteran Success Center and the VBA working together hand in hand. If you’re a veteran Vol, you, come by, come to the center, you, we got student Veterans of America, we got community, we got the support you need … Just being able to have a team can really make the difference,” Ho stated.
The ideals and motivations that Ho holds embody the ethos of what it means to be a Volunteer. His military service and commitment to supporting fellow veterans on campus exemplify the spirit of service and leadership represented during Veterans Day observances.
