The Faculty Association of the
California Community Colleges hosted a two-day Veterans Summit Dec. 6-7 to raise awareness
of veteran concerns and to share best practices and a group of Cañada faculty, staff, and students was in attendance.
Educators, student
veterans, service providers, and State representatives discussed strategies and
resources to ensure the academic and personal success of those who served our
country. Nicolas Martin and Edith Flores, Cañada's VA designated counselor and
certifying official, attended the Veterans Summit along with Director of Student
Support & TRiO, Romeo O. Garcia. The Veteran Resource and Opportunity
Center (V-ROC) also welcomed a new Retention Specialist this Fall 2012, Steven
Bradley, also a veteran, who actively participated in the Summit as well.
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| Cañada's V-ROC team |
“It
was great to see the commitment from the community colleges and the efforts to
provide the environment necessary for veterans and other students to achieve
success in their educational and personal goals,” Bradley said.
Various workshops were offered such as
Academic Counseling for Military and Veteran Students, Mental Health Issues
(Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Traumatic Brain Injuries), Understanding
Military Cultures, Women Veterans Issues, VA Benefits and Education Plans, and
Best Practices in Veterans Resource Centers. Several student veterans
were in attendance and shared their perspective and inspiring testimonials via
student panels, digital storytelling, and theater arts.
“The summit presenters did an
excellent job of providing helpful and relevant information on how best to
interact and be sensitive to veterans’ needs. The environment that veterans are
accustomed to is very different than what they find at the community
college. Educators need to be sensitive and aware of the realities
veterans experience; we want these highly deserving students to be successful,
as we want for all students,” said Martin, “One part
of the summit that was highly moving and memorable was a scene performed from
the play 'The Bronze Star.' The actors were a mix of veterans and non-veterans;
the insight they provided into what helped them re-adjust to civilian life was
deeply impactful. One actor expressed how much the arts helped him overcome his
alcoholism and mental health issues, including Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
(PTSD). I learned that as educators, we need to get creative with how we can
reach these veterans; the conventional methods may not always be best. What
other areas of college could potentially help vets?”
There can potentially be a lot
of complexity and nuance when working with veteran course selection and its
correlation with VA benefits, for instance. Flores works diligently
to ensure Student Education Plans are in alignment with benefit eligibility
requirements. There are about 150-200 Veterans at Cañada College, more
than 55 of which are currently receiving benefits.
“The Veterans Summit Conference was a very productive event," Flores said. "I
was able to network with veteran coordinators from other community colleges and
learn their work with student veterans. I was very impressed how we all have
the same mission; support our veterans in any and all possible way to make them
succeed in school and as well in life”.
Momentum has been ongoing at
Cañada College to support veterans, especially since V-ROC opened in Spring
2011. With the founding leadership of Margie Carrington and a Veterans
Steering Committee of student veterans, key College program staff, and
community members affiliated with local veteran service organizations,
including Vietnam Veterans of America - San Mateo Chapter, American Legion Post
105, AmVETS, Disabled Veterans of America, and representatives from the
Peninsula Vet Center, the V-ROC is becoming a centralized hub to connect with
other veterans and campus and community resources. Special thanks to
community volunteers and members of Menlo Park Rotary Club, Mary Helen
Armstrong and Mike McNitt, for being instrumental advocates for the
V-ROC. V-ROC is excited to reach out again to the Veterans Steering
Committee to reconvene for future planning in early March 2013.
For more information regarding
the Veteran Resource & Opportunity Center, please contact Romeo O. Garcia
at garciar@smccd.edu.
Aranyakul graduated from Cañada College in Business
Administration 19 years ago before earning a Bachelor’s degree in management from
Golden Gate University. She went to work in business before returning to Santa
Clara University to work on her Master’s degree in counseling.
