Student veteran Madeline Graf named Student Leader of the Year

AUCON’s Madeline Graf is giving a masterclass in the student-veteran experience. A senior from Peachtree City, Georgia, Graf’s guiding lights are a passion for service and dedication to making a difference. As a student nurse graduating this Saturday with her BSN and an egress systems technician in the Alabama Air National Guard, she lives her values every day, whether in the classroom, at the bedside, or in uniform.

Under Graf’s leadership as President, the Auburn Student Veterans Association (ASVA) earned recognition as Student Involvement’s 2025 Most Exceptional Campus Organization. She was also a 2025 Top 10 Finalist for the Student Veteran of the Year Award, highlighting on a national level her excellent leadership, commitment to service, and contributions to the veteran community. To Graf, it makes sense to pour into the community that gives so much back to her, and she emphasizes how much a sense of community impacts well-being and success. When asked what she wished the civilian public understood about student vets, she stated, “I wish more people understood that one of the biggest needs for service members pursuing a degree is community.” Graf has built the very community she and other vets lean on when transitioning into university life and has been recognized as Student Involvement’s Student Leader of the Year for her diligent work in helping to bridge this critical gap in the student veteran experience.

She also believes that vets are well-equipped for demanding healthcare environments, as attention to detail, discipline, and initiative are traits instilled during military service and hallmarks of invaluable healthcare workers. Nursing skills are complementary to military service as well. When explaining how her nursing care has influenced her military service, Graf says, “[Nursing] has helped me become more aware of the human side of high-pressure environments and more intentional in how I communicate and work with others.”

Graf has known she wanted to be a registered nurse since she was young, recognizing that nurses are uniquely positioned to help others at their most vulnerable and seeing the value of a career that can evolve with her over time. Post-graduation, Graf will begin her nursing career in neonatal intensive care at MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital in Charleston, South Carolina. Working directly with critically ill neonates and lending emotional support to their families deeply fuels her passion for advocacy. Graf extends her commitment to advocacy as Secretary of AUCON’s Initiative for Representation in Nursing and as a volunteer at Baby Steps, an Auburn-based nonprofit organization that supports student mothers with housing, childcare, and community.

On the surface, such a full schedule seems taxing, if not impossible. It’s no sweat for Graf, who enjoys staying busy and cherishes the opportunity to contribute to causes that genuinely matter to her. Graf exemplifies a life dedicated to service, both to her country and the patients entrusted to her. At the heart of it all is gratitude for her community and the people within it. Graf says, “The relationships and experiences I have had at Auburn have made a lasting impact on me, and I know they will continue to influence the way I serve and care for others long after graduation.” With her formative experiences as a US service member, student nurse, and diligent servant of others, Graf is sure to continue making a difference in the lives she touches.

** A note about the author: Emma Benson is a 2020 AUCON graduate, who previously worked as a nurse and has transitioned to a career writing about healthcare-related topics. Her experience as a nurse provides her a unique perspective as a writer, and we are grateful to have her contribute her talents to AUCON.