St. Thomas Undergraduate Student Government appointed Joseph LaCroix as the Student Veteran Representative last month, a position new to the organization this semester, after he volunteered for the position.

LaCroix is in his first semester at St. Thomas after serving in the Army for nine years. He joined the Army in 2005 at 18 years old, before officially leaving in 2014 to attend Normandale Community College for his Associate Degree in criminal justice, which he completed in 2017.

LaCroix was ranked a sergeant when he left the Army.

“In about sixth grade, I wrote a paper about how I wanted to join the military, which is kind of funny because I did exactly what I wanted to do in sixth grade,” LaCroix said.

Not even halfway through spring semester, LaCroix has become the first Student Veteran Representative for USG.

“This is just the start of making their voices heard. I hope that with this position we are able to support them in the best way possible,” said Shonni Krengel, vice-president of public relations for USG.

USG approached the St. Thomas Veterans Association asking if any members would be interested in the position, according to Peter Watson, president of St. Thomas Veterans Association.

LaCroix volunteered to become the new representative after the position was presented to all the officers and will attend the biweekly meetings on Thursdays to participate as a voice for veterans on campus.

With this position, he will also have the ability to start committees and plan events that could go toward bettering the veteran community on campus, Krengel said.

LaCroix is attending St. Thomas to receive his Bachelor’s Degree.

“I was kind of holding out because I do know that St. Thomas has always had — even when I was in high school — a weight behind its name,” LaCroix said.

He is currently debating between a degree in criminal justice or international relations.

“I have recently found a love for working with the intelligence community or even the analysis side of the intelligence community and crime,” LaCroix said.

Around campus, LaCroix said the reception he gets from other students and faculty makes his college experience.

“It’s the community that I would have hoped for going to a larger school from a community college,” LaCroix said.

LaCroix has also become an ambassador for the St. Thomas Veterans Association.

The St. Thomas Veterans Association has officially 10 members, fluctuating between the start of a semester and the end, according to Watson.

“Veterans have a lot of stuff in their lives,” Watson said.” They have families, they have school, they have work, so we try to be accomodating with that.”

The club was started in 2008, but was put on probation in the 2013-2014 academic year due to lack of leadership. In 2015, student affairs reached out to the then St. Thomas Veteran Association president in an effort to reboot the club. Watson has been president ever since.

Watson is working with President Julie Sullivan to double the veteran community on campus within the next five years.

“We’re trying to make this one of the most veteran friendly schools in the Midwest, if not the nation,” LaCroix said.

According to LaCroix, being in the Army taught him to never give up in achieving what you desire, no matter the circumstance you can overcome it.

“I owe a lot of my life to the Army,” LaCroix said. “I’d say it’s 60 percent of who I am today. The other 40 is because of my mom.”

Althea Larson can be reached at lars2360@stthomas.edu