With more than 2,700 U.S. military service members, veterans, and their families attending CSU Global, it is essential to provide uniquely qualified staff to help guide our military students through their educational journey.
There is, perhaps, no one more excited to meet military members’ needs and goals – whether those plans are to advance within the armed forces or transition into the civilian sector – than Thaiha Vo-Le, CSU Global’s new military benefits advisor.
Vo-Le, who recently moved to the Los Angeles area with her husband and two children, is especially suited to her role, having spent 20 years as a military spouse.
A Passion for Helping Service Members
“My husband is recently retired, but being in a military capacity for the last two decades, I worked on base as a military education career specialist and deputy education officer. I’ve always connected with service members and their families.”
At the start of the pandemic, after posting in a Facebook group for military spouses looking for virtual employment, Vo-Le discovered CSU Global. “Because we moved every three years, it was hard to kind of keep continuous employment and receive promotions. I got to a point where I needed a remote career that I could take with me.”
Finding a Home at CSU Global
She accepted an enrollment counselor position at the university and began working closely with CSU Global’s military benefits team, where she found a friend in Binh Nguyen, the military benefits advisor at the time. They remained in communication, and when Nguyen moved to the military benefits processing team, Vo-Le applied for the military benefits advisor position.
“After two years on the enrollment team, I felt ready to see how else I could contribute to CSU Global and serve the students in a different capacity. I am so excited about working more closely with military students.”
Vo-Le now directly advises CSU Global’s military student population. As a G.I. Bill-approved school, CSU Global students are encouraged to utilize their VA benefits. The university is proud to participate in the VA Principles of Excellence Program and offers a streamlined application process and waived application fees for thousands of military, veteran, and dependent students.
Vo-Le recognizes that there's so much information to digest in terms of benefits, schools, and programs, that students can easily feel overwhelmed.
“My passion is career guidance,” she explained. “I’ve seen the struggles and the barriers that military students have when it comes to their education.” In fact, Vo-Le said she’s seen military friends attend upwards of 10 different schools because of transfers and deployments. She credits the quality, flexibility, mobility of CSU Global classes with appealing to military families, especially in the face of unpredictable schedules and relocations. “I think CSU Global does an amazing job in terms of supporting our students, because we try to accept as many credits as possible, including military transcripts and credits from military training.”
For Vo-Le, her new role offers the opportunity to give back to military members and their families.
“What I'm most excited about is being able to support our students by maximizing the benefits that they have earned through their service. It may sound cheesy, but I can’t wait to help our military students use their benefits to improve their lives.”
Vo-Le received her master’s in vocational rehabilitation counseling from San Diego State University and currently lives in California with her husband and two children, ages 12 and 15. In their spare time, they enjoy exploring nature. Before coming to CSU Global, Vo-Le was named Honolulu’s Employee of the Year at the Marine Corps base where her husband was stationed for five years (see photo).
August 8, 2022