Nikki Gold, an undergraduate health student at Oregon State University and U.S. Navy veteran, was named the 2025 National Student Veteran of the Year by Student Veterans of America. Selected from a pool of more than 600,000 student veterans nationwide, Gold is the first openly LGBTQ+ veteran to receive this honor.
Gold is also a Student Veterans of America Leadership Fellow, president of the Student Veterans Association at OSU, undergraduate trustee and the Holcomb Center’s LGBTQ+ veteran coordinator.
Gold is a second-generation Naval veteran. Their mother served for 21 years, and inspired Gold’s desire to serve their country. They spent five years in the Navy as a sonar technician surface second class, serving on board two destroyers, the USS Pinckney out of San Diego and the USS Chafee out of Pearl Harbor
“The most valuable thing my service added to my life was people,” Gold said. “I always say I would do it all again if I got to meet all the same people. Professionally my service gave me the ability to approach projects with a big picture mindset, resilience, leadership skills and the ability to be a self-starter.”
When Gold’s Naval career ended, they found themselves with a freedom they’d never experienced before, and no idea what direction to take. So, they literally left their future to chance. They put the name of every state in a Google randomizer, and flipped a coin between the top two selections. When Oregon won the coin toss, Gold looked at universities in the state and picked Oregon State University.
“I don’t know if I believe in fate but I but I could not have ended up at a better institution,” Gold said.
But transitioning from sailor to student wasn’t as easy as flipping a coin. Gold struggled to find a purpose outside of their identity as a veteran, and the change in environment and structure was confusing. Then they discovered the Holcomb Center for Military and Veteran Resources and the Student Veterans Association, and those resources suddenly made Gold’s path much clearer.
“Once I got involved in the military connected community at OSU my experience completely shifted,” Gold said. “I felt like I had finally found a home and family outside of the Navy. It is in the Holcomb Center that I was given the support to learn effectively and grow not just as a person but also as a leader.”
While Gold had a natural inclination to serve, their identity as an openly LGBTQ+ veteran felt like an obstacle, and not all spaces felt like welcoming ones.
“LGBTQ+ veterans have been historically discriminated against through policies like ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,’ or the recent executive order banning transgender servicemembers,” Gold said. “I remember feeling like the veteran space was not meant for me, but I showed up anyways because I believe if our community continues to show up and persevere that we can continue to create a better, safer and more equitable world.”
A number of mentors helped them turn that perceived obstacle into a strength. The first was Willie Elfering, director of the Holcomb Center, who helped Gold believe in themselves. The second was Marine Corps veteran and LGBTQ+ Veteran Coordinator for the Oregon Department of Veterans Affairs Ian Michael.
“Michael showed me that as ourselves, we can change the world,” Gold said.
Finally, health instructor Tamara Scoville, who teaches the Healthcare Law and Regulation class, opened Gold’s eyes to a new world of possibilities, and was influential for Gold’s decision to pursue a law degree after they graduate from Oregon State.
The Student Veterans Association at OSU has been active for four years and has already racked up a number of honors in its short time, including having a student selected to attend the Student Veterans Association Leadership Institute four years in a row (a highly competitive honor), had a member elected as a VFW/SVA legislative fellow, and has now had two members chosen as Student Veteran of the Year (Angelina Trillo was named in 2023).
During Gold’s time with the association, they’ve been involved in a number of mental health initiatives including working with CAPS to create a peer support group called “Those Who Serve” aimed at LGBTQ+ veterans, as well as working with outside groups to offer suicide prevention training to OSU students. Gold also helped distribute 60 free weapon safes to student veterans.
After graduation in late 2026, Gold hopes to eventually become an attorney. LGBTQ+ advocacy will always be a major part of their life.
“It is my hope that LGBTQ+ veterans can see my success and know that they in fact have a home in the veteran community,” Gold said. “Regardless of policy, their veteran family wants them and celebrates them and that there are people out there advocating on their behalf.”
By Theresa Hogue
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