The Veterans Resource Center (VRC) at Grossmont College is about those who have served in the military, as well as the families who also support them and, in a way, serve right alongside them.
“We serve the veterans and their families here,” said Katherine Veizaga, the Veterans Resource Center Specialist at Grossmont.
For many veterans, this is the light at the end of the tunnel that keeps them going.
Veizaga said she is very passionate about caring about all the vets and their dependents.
“Our goal is to get you educated,” she said. “Excellence is what we strive for here. We will not waste your time.”
The Veterans Resource Center is phenomenal for all branches of the military and is open to those currently serving or transitioning from base to civilian life. Off-Base Transition Training, or OBTT, is a program embedded into the resource center to assist veterans in resume writing after graduation, making sure they get all certificates from the studies for which they qualify, and supplying them with a surplus of financial aid and resources. Laptops, scantrons, backpacks loaded with supplies, food and beverages, and Veterans are encouraged to always have as much as they need.
Every semester about 500 students take part in the program and receive aid from the Veterans Resource Center. Of those students, about 90% are Veterans and 10% are their dependents, Veizaga said.
It’s scary and lonely at times when your loved one is deployed and away from the family. It’s the bond between family when you’re out in the field protecting your country that holds them together and helps them to never give up. So, when Veterans come back and engage in their education again, they are received at Grossmont with open arms and all the resources available to achieve their goals.
To all the veterans and their families, thank you for your service!