Veteran's club highlights support through faire
Kyle Jones
Issue date: 8/29/08 Section: News
|
Veteran's eager to learn lined up and followed the booths gathering information at each to find support for their higher education as well as find resources to help them pursue their goals in life after serving the country.
The event is made for veterans to find out more about their educational opportunities through the GI Bill and at the same time give them the support needed to make the transition from soldier to student.
"There are a lot of barriers in the transition from military to college life for veterans," said Todd Steffan, Las Positas veterans' adviser. "Events such as these are designed to help give them the support they need and to help guide them through the process of pursuing higher education."
The event was divided into two components. One was the presentation on financial aid, counseling and veteran benefits which ran from morning until lunch. People such as Steffan and Vice President Bob Kratochvil spoke during that time on the opportunities available for veterans at LPC.
After the morning speakers, the Veteran's Panel spoke to the audience about their experience with the transition from soldier to student. They spoke of how their perspective has changed compared to other students on campus. They spoke about how their way of thinking has changed from when they were 18.
"I've spent 5 years in the military. And when you are in school in the military, you sit down and you shut up and you do your work. Right now I'm in this class and for one it's super crowded, which I've become paranoid about now of just having people around me," said James McGuirk, 25.
"Then I have all these 18, 19 year olds talking and having side conversations and it drives me nuts. That's the hard part."
The Veteran's Panel helped the audience understand their perspective on the world, and how it can be challenging at times for them.
However, there is a new Post-9/11 GI Bill that provides veterans with more benefits than the current GI Bill. The bill includes full tuition and fees as well as a monthly housing stipend and $1000 in books and supplies.
The bill is designed to help veterans focus more on school and less on finding a job.
The event helped provide for veterans supported by the GI Bill to find the resources and support needed to progress through their higher education.
"The Veteran's Club is committed to help provide veterans with the support they need to continue with a higher education," Steffan said. "And hopefully reaching out to more in the community."
Be the first to comment on this story