With Veterans Day on the horizon, student veterans and their support staff on campus
are gearing up for a week of activities to honor their service.
“We know that it’s not just ‘a’ day that we need to honor our veterans, it’s something
that we need to honor every day,” said Ramiro Hernandez, Mesa College Counseling Department
Professor. “Thankfully, here at Mesa, we’ve been able to make it into a weeklong celebration.”
On Tuesday, Nov. 8, the Veterans Resource Center will hold an Open House from 11 a.m.
to 1 p.m. with a BBQ and Air Suit Wrestling in the Quad next to the Center, which
can be found in Room I-102. That afternoon students can learn about the career resources
for veterans in the VRC from 2 to 3 p.m.
A group of veterans will speak on Wednesday, Nov. 9 during the “Stories of Our Past”
panel in Room MC 211 A from 12:30 to 2 p.m. On the panel are a veteran from WWII who
was at Normandy, one from the Gulf War and one who was the inspiration for "Top Gun"
character Cmdr. Mike "Viper" Metcalf.
Student veterans can find out more information about transferring on Nov. 9 in the
VRC from 4 to 5 p.m., and there will also be more information in the Transfer Center
at I4-306 during drop-in appointments for veterans on Thursday, Nov. 10 from 1 to
3 p.m.
“For our student veterans, they know they’re never forgotten here on our campus,”
Hernandez said. “We always encourage our student veterans to get involved in our campus
because we definitely know that they have tremendous leadership. At the end of the
day, with any military-related holiday, we like to show our appreciation. We try to
do it in a way that also promotes their educational advancement, while celebrating
their service.”
In addition to aiming to show the campus’ veterans that their military service is
appreciated, another goal of the Veterans Day events is to bring awareness to the
rest of the community at Mesa College.
“As far as the campus at large, it’s kind of giving that sense of pride that we are
a military town, we have a tremendous amount of student veterans on our campus, and
we need to celebrate that and encourage their progress,” Hernandez said.
For more information about Veterans Resources and the Veterans Day events, contact
the Mesa College Veterans Resource Center via phone at (619) 388-2852, via email at
mesavacounselor@sdccd.edu or visit www.sdmesa.edu/veterans.
Veterans Day Events
Veterans Resource Center Open House
BBQ & Air Suit Wrestling
Date: Tuesday, Nov. 8
Time: 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Location: Quad near I-102
Career Resources for Veterans
Date: Tuesday, Nov. 8
Time: 2-3 p.m.
Location: VRC, I-102
“Stories of Our Past” Veterans Panel
Date: Wednesday, Nov. 9
Time: 12:30-2:00 p.m.
Location: MC 211 A
Transfer Options for Veterans
Date: Wednesday, Nov. 9
Time: 4-5 p.m.
Location: VRC, I-102
Transfer Drop-ins for Veterans
Date: Thursday, Nov. 10
Time: 1-3 p.m.
Location: Transfer Center, I4-306 (Third Floor of Student Services Building)
Tags: Veterans, Veteran Affairs, Veterans Day