{"id":3631,"date":"2026-09-17T09:00:35","date_gmt":"2026-09-17T14:00:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.jccc.edu\/messenger\/?p=3631"},"modified":"2026-09-18T12:06:01","modified_gmt":"2026-09-18T17:06:01","slug":"jcccs-new-veteran-and-military-student-resource-center-allows-more-space-and-support","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.jccc.edu\/messenger\/2026\/09\/17\/jcccs-new-veteran-and-military-student-resource-center-allows-more-space-and-support\/","title":{"rendered":"JCCC’s New Veteran and Military Student Resource Center Allows More Space And Support\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

Photo By: Josiah Nelson<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

\n

The New Veteran and Military Student Resource Center gives JCCC students more space and support<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re a veteran or military-connected student at JCCC, there\u2019s a good chance you\u2019ve walked past a small office, perhaps without realizing what it was, and wondered where you were supposed to go for help.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

That\u2019s now changed.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The move marks one of the more visible changes to student support services on campus this year. The new location replaces the center\u2019s previous office, which had become increasingly crowded as the program grew, and gives students a more accessible place to find the services and resources available to them.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A Space That Finally Fits<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Speaking with Program Director Kena Zumwalt, she explained that it took roughly five years of planning, advocating and working with college administrators before they were able to provide a larger location. During that time, the program continued serving students in its previous office, even as the space became increasingly crowded and limited the center\u2019s ability to accommodate students comfortably.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe were just getting more and more squished into our space,\u201d she said.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s worth noting how much the program has grown to get here. When the director first started working with the veteran program, it was a part-time position with a handful of VA work-study students helping out. Since then, it\u2019s picked up more student employees, a peer advisor program and partnerships with outside organizations, growing into something the old space just couldn\u2019t hold anymore.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A More Central Place for Support<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The new space also brings several community partners together under one roof. Students can now access VA career and benefits counseling alongside assistance with veterans’ claims.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNumber one, it brings our community partners and our center in one space,\u201d she continued, \u201cbecause before they were across the hall from us, so that was kind of a, \u2018Oh, we\u2019ll have to get up and walk you over there,\u2019 kind of thing. Now we\u2019re all together, and so that makes for a better dynamic.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

More Room to Work<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

More space means staff can work with students individually while also helping more students at the same time, instead of everyone competing for the same corner of the room. It just wasn\u2019t possible before when computers and space were both in short supply, especially during busy stretches of the semester.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe would have to take them back in the student lounge because we have some students\u2019 computers back there. So now we\u2019ve got, you know, a lot more capacity to be able to help with the greater needs,\u201d she added.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Greg, a student who works at the center, said the layout change alone makes a real difference. In the old space, the lounge and the student work area were basically the same room, so if you were trying to focus on something while other students were hanging out nearby, you were kind of stuck.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s nice to have that,\u201d he said, talking about finally having a separate area just for getting work done.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Not only is the space much more accessible and easier to locate, but with the upgrades, it offers a much more vibrant and welcoming atmosphere.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt smelled like a brand-new shoebox, you know? Coming in was a pleasant surprise, much brighter in here, nicer carpets, more space. One of the things that stuck out to me was that the lounge is now separate from the student work area,\u201d he continued.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Having more workstations has cut down on the waiting, too. He said that before, there was essentially one computer for everyone trying to work through VA.gov or fill out JCCC forms, so people ended up standing around just to get started. Now there\u2019s enough room to actually sit down and work through it while staff walks you through the process.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOrganization is through the roof,\u201d he said.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A Growing Community<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The center currently serves somewhere between 700 and 750 veteran and military-connected students each semester, according to the director, and around 300 to 350 of those students use benefits the center helps support.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Looking ahead, the center wants to reach students who don\u2019t even know it exists yet. The goal is to connect with people earlier, right as they\u2019re starting college, instead of waiting for students to eventually find their own way to the center. The peer advisor program is also expected to keep growing, pairing veteran and military-connected students with others who understand what they\u2019re going through firsthand.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of times, you know, these folks are first-generation college students, so they didn\u2019t have their parents to say, \u2018Oh, well, this is what I did,\u2019 … so we want to make sure that they know that there are other students, just like them, here, and those students are here to help them,\u201d the director responded.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Come See It For Yourself<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For her, the new space is about more than simply having additional room. She wants it to become a place where students can spend time between classes, meet other students and get the support they need.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI want it to be a place where they feel like they belong,\u201d she said.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Greg\u2019s advice to other veteran and military-connected students is simple: come see the space for yourself.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe have what you need,\u201d he said. \u201cWe have space. We have quiet space. We have snacks. We have coffee.”<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

At the end of the day, the director wants students to know that they do not have to navigate college alone. The goal is to make sure students understand that asking for assistance is encouraged and that the program is committed to helping them succeed.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI want it to be a place where they feel like they belong, that they can create meaningful connections with other students, that they can get their questions answered and be supported.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The center currently serves somewhere between 700 and 750 veteran and military-connected students each semester, according to the director, and around 300 to 350 of those students use benefits the center helps support.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":3632,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advgb_blocks_editor_width":"","advgb_blocks_columns_visual_guide":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[78,26],"ppma_author":[365],"class_list":["post-3631","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","tag-cavs","tag-jccc"],"author_meta":{"display_name":"Saul Epstein","author_link":"https:\/\/blogs.jccc.edu\/messenger\/author\/sepstein\/"},"featured_img":"https:\/\/blogs.jccc.edu\/messenger\/files\/2026\/09\/Veterans-facility-300x200.jpg","coauthors":[{"link":"https:\/\/blogs.jccc.edu\/messenger\/author\/gabrielle-thompson\/","display_name":"Gabrielle Thompson"}],"tax_additional":{"categories":{"linked":["Featured<\/a>"],"unlinked":["Featured<\/span>"]},"tags":{"linked":["Cavs<\/a>","JCCC<\/a>"],"unlinked":["Cavs<\/span>","JCCC<\/span>"]}},"comment_count":"0","relative_dates":{"created":"Posted 5 days ago","modified":"Updated 4 days ago"},"absolute_dates":{"created":"Posted on September 17, 2026","modified":"Updated on September 18, 2026"},"absolute_dates_time":{"created":"Posted on September 17, 2026 9:00 am","modified":"Updated on September 18, 2026 12:06 pm"},"featured_img_caption":"","series_order":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"authors":[{"term_id":365,"user_id":0,"is_guest":1,"slug":"gabrielle-thompson","display_name":"Gabrielle Thompson","avatar_url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&r=g","author_category":"","first_name":"","last_name":"","user_url":"","job_title":"","description":""}],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blogs.jccc.edu\/messenger\/files\/2026\/09\/Veterans-facility.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.jccc.edu\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3631","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.jccc.edu\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.jccc.edu\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.jccc.edu\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.jccc.edu\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3631"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.jccc.edu\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3631\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3652,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.jccc.edu\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3631\/revisions\/3652"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.jccc.edu\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3632"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.jccc.edu\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3631"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.jccc.edu\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3631"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.jccc.edu\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3631"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.jccc.edu\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=3631"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}