The 2024 Student Veteran of the Year was awarded to Brandon Mowes at the yearly Veterans Day Commemoration event on Nov. 15.

Mowes utilizes his nine years of United States Navy experience as his catalyst to strive for academic excellence and is someone who exudes qualities of servant leadership.

While in the Navy, Mowes was attached to the Nuclear Power Training Command in Charleston, SC where he endured a fast-paced and challenging nuclear training course consisting of calculus and physics. While not an implicit responsibility of being the class leader, he made it his goal to ensure everyone in his section had the best opportunity to succeed in the program. This goal resulted in Mowes spending substantial time helping other students find ways to better understand the material. His selflessness continued throughout each training program, leading to many students reaching their goals. This act of servant leadership did not go unnoticed.

Following his training, Mowes was offered a position to remain at the training site as an instructor. Jumping at the opportunity, he became an instructor for two years. He instructed approximately 320 sailors in general chemistry and radiological controls, with about 60 being further instructed on in-depth theory and practical application in these controls. The in-depth training portion included standing watch on the systems associated with a working nuclear reactor that was built in 1979 by monitoring, sampling, and correcting chemistry and responding to “incidents” that occur throughout the engine room. Through this experience, he absolutely fell in love with the science behind the reactors and knew this was the field he wanted to pursue.

In 2020, as classes and offices reopened after the pandemic, Brandon discovered the Veterans Support Center, VSC, and inquired about an open work-study position.

“Working at the VSC started to make me feel like I was still contributing to something important by helping all of our military-connected students on campus through support in the VSC and at various events. Seeing the effect that we have on these students at some of their most stressful times is beyond words,” he said.

Brandon graduated with his Bachelor of Science in Chemistry in 2023 with plans to continue at the U for his graduate degree. During the fall semester of that year, he was accepted into the Nuclear Engineering Ph.D. Program as a Research Fellow where he is conducting research on the forensic use of isotopes found in nuclear material in antiproliferation efforts to eventually reduce the security threat that nuclear materials pose to the world, minimizing the effort needed from our armed forces.

As Brandon continues his Ph.D. program, he remains a member of the VSC team as their office assistant. Between helping students in the office, advancing academically, or seeing him during Veterans Week activities behind his “combat camera”, his impact to the military-connected student community and the University of Utah is priceless.