Meet a Roadrunner: UTSA's Michael Huebner is committed to helping veterans
Michael Huebner
Michael Huebner
Share this Story(Nov. 6, 2013) -- Meet Sergeant Michael Huebner, a veteran of the U.S. Army. He's committed to bettering the lives of his fellow veterans.
As president of the UTSA Student Veterans Association (SVA), he leads the premier advocacy organization for the nearly 3,000 student veterans, their families and service members at UTSA.
Michael ran for president of SVA because he is aware of the many needs and challenges veterans face when returning home.
"I know how a lot of veterans feel right after coming back home and to school," said Huebner. "I have been there, too. I have experienced PTSD and getting shot at in combat, then returning home from the black-and-white world of the military to a more grey world."
In 2004-2005, Huebner was stationed as a combat medic at Kandahar Airfield in Afghanistan. He worked in the operating room and trauma center as both medic and non-commissioned officer in the radiology department.
"I saw everything you could possibly see in that operating room," said Huebner. "Blood, guts, gore and death in southern Afghanistan. There were a lot of sleepless nights."
As a result of his experiences, Michael developed post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). When he came home, he found it difficult to continue working in the medical field. Often, he would get sick simply from walking into a hospital, but he knew he still wanted to help heal people.
It took him several years of counseling, therapy and support from his fellow veterans to get where he is today, Huebner said. When he enrolled at UTSA, he decided to pursue a psychology degree in order to learn to better serve veterans with PTSD.
For Huebner, being a part of the SVA is the least he can do to honor the service of his fellow veterans at UTSA. Next spring, he will graduate with honors. In the future, he plans to pursue his master's and doctoral degrees at UTSA, while continuing his work as an advocate for veterans.
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Do you know someone in the UTSA community with an inspiring story or trying to better the lives of their peers? Email us at social@utsa.edu, and we will consider your submission for our next installment of Meet a Roadrunner.
Events
Join the PEACE Center and Wellbeing Services for Denim Day, a day of learning about the importance of consent and why we wear denim on the last Wednesday of the month each April during Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Stop by our Denim Day display to take a photo in front of our Denim Wall, spin the "Is It Consent?" Wheel, and get a Concha or goodie.
Student Union Window Lounge, Main CampusLearn to use Zotero®, a citation manager that can help you store and organize citations you find during your research. Zotero can generate bibliographies in various styles, insert in-text citations and allow you to share sources with collaborators.
Virtual EventThis event will acknowledge graduating seniors from the McNair Scholars program at UTSA before inducting the new cohort of scholars into the program.
North Paseo Building (NPB 5.140), Main CampusAt this memorable celebration, UTSA graduates will be introduced one-by-one to cross the stage and accept their doctoral degrees.
Arts Building Recital Hall, Main CampusRoadrunner Walk is an event for graduating students to have a memorable walk on campus to celebrate an important milestone and their achievements. Graduates will walk along the Paseo while being celebrated by the UTSA community, friends, and family members.
Student Union Paseo, Main CampusCelebrate the accomplishments of College of Education and Human Development, College for Health, Community and Policy, College of Sciences and University College.
Alamodome, 100 Montana St.Celebrate the accomplishments of Alvarez College of Business, College of Liberal and Fine Arts and Klesse College of Engineering and Integrated Design.
Alamodome, 100 Montana St.
