March Millennial of the Month: Will Hubbard

MAP wants to amplify the voices of the most diverse and largest generation: millennials. Join us as we share important issues that impact young Americans and highlight noteworthy millennial movers and shakers.

Our March Millennial of the Month is Will Hubbard, Vice President of Government Affairs at Student Veterans of America. Will sits down with us to share his military experience and the unique challenges young veterans face both when leaving service, and in the wake of America’s student debt crisis.

MAP: Tell us a bit about yourself — what’s your background and how did you first get involved with Student Veterans of America?

Will Hubbard: One day I got a call from a Marine Corps recruiter who told me I could scale mountains and slay dragons — my response was simple, where do I sign up?

In truth, though, I joined the Marines then headed off to boot camp in 2007, and have been a proud member of our armed forces since then. I graduated from American University in 2011 and began my civilian career with Deloitte’s Federal practice as a Strategy and Operations Consultant.

Having been involved with Student Veterans of America while in school, eventually, they asked me to join the team to build out the policy and advocacy shop. Since 2014, I’ve been part of the SVA family and have appreciated being a staff member at this incredible higher education non-profit dedicated to supporting veterans in college.

MAP: What challenges did you face, especially as a young person, when starting your business?

WH: Starting a business is the easiest part; nobody tells you how hard it is to run a business. I had the opportunity to build Jamie’s Chips with my mother in 2008. I loved the strategy, marketing, finance, and challenge that were all involved with the effort. I can tell you a lot more about the micro-snack food market than you’d probably ever want to know, but having a young face made it a challenge to be taken seriously at times. I found that if I took myself seriously and presented a professional image, that people were willing to accept the fact that they were working with an 18-year old.

MAP: What’s the current outlook for millennials, particularly veterans, when they graduate college or leave the military?

WH: Student veterans have never had a brighter outlook than today. For veterans with a college degree, unemployment is nearly a statistical zero. Organizations all over America recognize that leadership, real-world experience, and creative problem-solving that veterans gain while in the military is invaluable to the most difficult on-the-job challenges. Many student veterans have also earned the GI Bill, allowing them to cover a majority of costs associated with attaining a valuable, and necessary, college degree that qualifies them for advanced careers. Unfortunately, not all veterans have the GI Bill — reservists or others who don’t receive the benefit for a variety of administrative reasons may face similar costs challenges as other non-traditional students.

MAP: How do you think the current student debt crisis be solved in a bipartisan manner?

WH: Nobody seems to be hearing each other. There was an interesting proposal recently that suggested forgiving the $1.4 billion debt burden of student loans, citing the potential direct economic impact of such an initiative. I haven’t looked at the data and research on such a sweeping proposal, but it’s time we considered all options and conducted comprehensive research on each. Our nation can’t afford to get this one wrong; as these debates linger, real lives are put on hold — or worse in some cases.

Sadly, much of this debt is fueled by predatory schools who seek out students as dollar signs in desks. It’s imperative that any solution to the student debt crisis incorporates proactive measures such as helping individuals become informed consumers to avoid badly behaving schools that lust after enrollments for riches.

MAP: What do you think is the best way for young people to get involved in government?

WH: In high school I helped found the Republican Club and the Democrat Club (if there’s only one, how would we debate?). In today’s hyperpartisan times, I advocate that all Americans — regardless of age — spend more time reading. Discuss ideas from books with family, friends, and even strangers. If you watch the network channels, everyone just yells at each other, but it’s not productive and it’s certainly not solution-oriented. If people read more and paid as much attention to their votes as they did to their sports, maybe they would naturally engage more.

I recommend every person spend at least one semester as an intern on Capitol Hill to learn how to make government work for them; just volunteer on a campaign as a first step then make your way out to Capitol Hill for a spring, summer, or fall.

MAP: What does bipartisanship mean to you?

WH: Bipartisanship means putting the country ahead of any party.

In the military the most successful leaders are revered for their servant-leader philosophy, and it should be no different when it comes to today’s political climate. Though this probably seems like an obvious truth, successful bipartisanship takes a lot of work — research, thought-leadership, and meaningful coalition building. It’s been widely expressed that the veterans committees have been the most productive in Congress.

SVA and many others participated in the 60+ organization coalition that led the passage of the Forever GI Bill, a $3.45 billion improvement and expansion of the GI Bill that also removed the time limit on using the benefit. I lost track of the 100+ hour weeks we worked to get something like this done, even with unanimous passage of the bill in both chambers within about 30 days of being introduced alluding to “an easy ride.”

Bipartisanship takes serious dedication, but the results for Americans are real.

MAP: Favorite and/or most used phone app?

WH: No apps for me.

MAP: One random item you can’t live without?

WH: Burt’s Bees regular chapstick.

MAP: Favorite binge TV show?

WH: Arrested Development. “I’m going back to Army, mother!” (only some people will get that.)