Brandy Humphrey, Army Spouse

Brandy need look no further than her husband to find inspiration and motivation for wanting to create a veteran-friendly environment at Arkansas State and other campuses throughout the country. Her husband, Gary, has served 14 years in the military and currently is in the National Guard. While on active duty, he deployed to Iraq as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. His unit was hit 13 times by IEDs and Gary earned a Purple Heart, but still suffers the effect of traumatic brain injuries and PTS.

It is his experience that has invigorated Brandy to want to improve on-campus services to veterans. She is an active participant within the Arkansas State Student Veterans Association. She tutors student-veterans free of charge in English and literature courses to help them succeed in acquiring a degree.

Brandy’s educational and career goals coincide. She plans to use her doctorate to serve and educate the student-veteran population at Arkansas State University and the surrounding community. Her ultimate goal is to create and develop an inclusive classroom environment specifically designed for student-veterans that centers on individualized learning goals through personal assessments.

Brandy plans to create a transitional living facility for veterans within her community. She cites a growing veteran homeless rate in Northeast Arkansas and she believes such a facility can offer transitional housing and other support for that population.