By Julius Williams
Latinos United Now and Always (LUNA) invites students, staff and faculty to “A Conversation with Hispanic Veterans,” a panel discussion serving as part of the college’s Veterans Week.
“We wanted to do an open panel discussion to give students a chance to learn about the contributions that Hispanic veterans have made,” said Brenda Romo, vice president of LUNA. “Hispanic students are one of the fastest growing populations on campus, but the transition can be difficult.”
Romo believes that Hispanic students can feel pressure to prove they belong on campus. She said with all of the anti-Hispanic political rhetoric happening right now, many students shy away from making connections on campus that could enrich their college experience.
“Hispanic students have some of the highest dropout rates at the college,” said Romo. “We are trying to change that.”
The Veteran’s Week program is designed to create an open forum for students to recognize that they are part of a larger community and introduce them to resources that are available to help them if they need it.
Hispanic veterans from the Korean War and World War II will be attending as well as veterans previously deployed in Iraq. The event is also being sponsored by the International and Immigrant Student Services department (IISS).
The IISS office assists immigrant students with issues from status, visa and passport issues to providing support and counseling. Satwinder Kaur is the coordinator of Immigrant Regulatory Advising and Support Services in the IISS office. Her office is participating in the Veteran’s Week event to give students an opportunity to learn about the office and what it provides.
“We want students to open up,” Kaur said. “The open panel is a chance for students to ask questions in a positive environment.”
Kaur hopes that immigrant students take this opportunity to get the support they need to be successful on campus. Her office serves refugee, asylum, pending permanent residents and undocumented students. She found in her work, some immigrant students are reluctant to ask for help for fear of being ostracized. Her office provides one-on-one private consultations for students, and she encourages students to reach out if they have any difficulties, whether they are immigration issues or adjusting to cultural differences.
One of the veterans scheduled to appear is Victor Lopez. He is the director of Community Services for El Centro. El Centro provides services and programs to empower the Hispanic community in Kansas City.
Lopez was a student at the college and at the University of Kansas. He was deployed in the Navy as a corpsman in Operation Iraqi Freedom and holds dual MBAs in Health Care Management and Medication and Dispute Resolution. He hopes that he can inspire students to be disciplined and strive for success.
“Keep pushing forward,” said Lopez. “The military helps you to grow up, see things differently and handle responsibility.”
Lopez believes that these things he learned in the military were integral to his success, but they can be learned anywhere. He said that it’s important for students to use the resources available to ensure their success.
The Hispanic Veteran’s Event will be held from 2 to 3:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 7 in CC 234.
A full schedule of Veteran’s Week events can be found on the college’s website at http://www.jccc.edu/photo_stories/2010/1108-veterans-week.html.
Contact Julius Williams, staff reporter, at jwilli78@stumail.jccc.edu.