Photo Courtesy Of Creative Commons

November is a cherished month dedicated especially to veterans. JCCC will be filled with multiple happenings focused on celebration, recognition, and building up the community between veterans on campus and the traditional student.   

 Creating connections across campus is an important way for students to feel belonging in the wider community. Students transitioning from military to civilian life face a unique set of challenges in their attempt to do just this. Antonio Lopez, a Marine Corps veteran and active Army National Guard member who serves as president of the Student Veterans of America (SVA) at JCCC shares his experiences dealing with these quiet barriers.   

“There’s a lot of stigma,” Lopez says, “like veterans are all mentally messed up, broken, but we’re all individuals that grew up in very similar neighborhoods as everybody else. We just happened to join the military. We have our own struggles and at the end of the day, we all need community.”  

Lopez opens the door for all veterans to be able to mingle and network with other students in the community, those who come from similar backgrounds and beyond. Lopez wants them to make connections with people that they will be interacting with in the classrooms.    

Through programs like Peer Advisors for Veteran Education (PAVE) and campus events, leaders like Antonio Lopez are building a foundation for students with inclusivity and education in mind while slowly breaking common and frequent misconceptions.   

With November approaching quickly, Lorang shares this message, “Step out of your comfort circle and shake someone’s hand, because it will make someone’s day.