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Abstract
Veterans are taking advantage of the education benefits afforded to them in the Post 9/11 GI Bill as military operations come to a close in Iraq and Afghanistan (Bonar & Domenici, 2011). Programs and services have been developed to help veterans navigate college life (Branker, 2009; DiRamio & Spires, 2009; Shackelford, 2009). However, it is important to explore how student veterans perceive their college experiences. Sense of belonging is the perception an individual has about membership within a particular community and the ways in which they matter and feel valued within that community (Hurtado & Carter, 1997; Strayhorn, 2012). Current research does not exist on how military service influences the extent to which student veterans feel a sense of belonging to the institutions they enroll. The purpose of this study was to explore student veterans' sense of belonging on college campuses. Within this study, I used the constructivist paradigm; Strayhorn's (2012) sense of belonging as a theoretical framework; narrative inquiry as the methodology; interviews and artifacts for data collection; and holistic and categorical data analysis to address the research purpose and questions. Data were collected using artifacts and semi-structured interviews (Jones, Torres, & Arminio, 2014; Merriam & Tisdell, 2016). Data were analyzed using holistic and categorical data analysis. Holistic data analysis was used to develop participant profiles. Categorical data analysis was used to structure participant profiles and discuss commonalities across profiles. Major findings included: academic experiences and student veterans, social experiences and student veterans, and sense of belonging for student veterans. Commonalities across participants included college transitions and belonging in higher education. The findings of this study have implications for practice, policy, and future research.