San Jacinto College veteran centers take care of more than transcripts.
Transitioning back into civilian life is a challenge for almost any military member, but attending college during that transition can be another challenge within itself. The San Jacinto College Centers of Excellence for Veteran Student Success are easing that transition, and what began in 2012 as a one-stop-shop for priority veteran student services has since grown into a sought-out resource for support, camaraderie, and friendship.
Veteran students have a number of support and assistance options available at San Jacinto College.
Photo credit: San Jacinto College.
“It makes it easier for us because for example, we’re not having to deal with all the noises of other conversations you’d hear in the student center, and we can talk about anything we want to in the veteran center,” said Cam Rojas, San Jacinto College student and Marine Corp veteran. “There’s definitely great interaction between all the vets and the veteran center staff.”
While academic services remain the priority, the San Jacinto College veteran centers have since emphasized a larger focus on the overall well-being of veteran students. Over the last two years, each campus veteran center has hosted a veteran job fair, where veteran students and those in the local community could meet local employers looking to hire veterans as well as educational and health benefits information from the College and the Veterans Administration. The veteran centers have also had lunch and learn sessions with topics concerning posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other mental health issues, transitioning back into civilian life, financial literacy, industry guest speakers, and priority registration events each semester.
Veteran’s Day has also become a weeklong celebration with various events at each campus, the most popular being the student veteran panels, featuring male and female student veterans representing different branches and majors, answering questions on their experience as students and how their transition from the military is shaping their education and personal lives. Another addition to the Veteran’s Day celebrations includes the Veteran Student Success Scholarship awarded by the San Jacinto College Foundation to two veteran students on each campus.
Veteran student panel discussion.
Photo credit: Andrea Vasquez, San Jacinto College.
This year, Victory Media named San Jacinto College a Military Friendly School for a sixth time. The annual list showcases the top 20 percent of colleges, universities, and trade schools in the country that are doing the most to embrace America’s service members, veterans, and spouses.
“As a veteran myself, I know how important it is to have support and direction when moving from the experiences of being a soldier to those of being a college student,” said Dr. Laurel Williamson, San Jacinto College deputy chancellor and president, and U.S. Army veteran. “We hope that our designation as a Military Friendly School will show the veterans in our community that we are ready to serve them, in the way they served us in the military.”
This year Military Times also ranked the College 22nd among two-year colleges in their annual “Best for Vets” list. For more information about veteran services at San Jacinto College, visit sanjac.edu/veterans.
– Andrea Vasquez