In honor of Veterans Day and all of those who have or are serving in the military, the Veterans Service Center at Rio Hondo hosted a Veterans Day celebration. From November 7th until November 9th room SS150 was the place to be.

The open house allowed the community to become aware of the support services that the center has to offer.

Veteran Meet and Greet

During this event, students had the opportunity to meet student veterans. Second year Rio Hondo student, Gilberto Tapia served from the year 2009 until the year 2011. “I shot cannons that were 95 pounds, the bullets were about knee high,” said Tapia. He deployed to Iraq from 2011-2012 and then went to school for automotive and is now in school to become a firefighter. “My whole life was guns and cars, I am trying to switch it up, growing up I was always into playing with water guns and I was always into cars” said Tapia.

If school doesn’t feel like the right option, there are other options out there such as the military. “They told me I was going to work at Mcdonalds because I did not graduate,” said Tapia. The military helps veterans pay for their rent and school supplies. The benefits are endless as a result of the GI bill and post 911. “The military gives you a leg up by helping you get in front of the person that is going to give you a job, ” said Tapia. 

Veterans at Rio obtain all of their benefits.  “We provide computer labs as well as one on one counseling exclusively for veterans,” said Counselor Coordinator Arely Castaneda. Veteran success is a number one priority in room SS150. The staff strives to work as closely as they can with veteran students. “I have been working here for 13 years as a certified official for veterans,” said Castaneda. 

The Veterans Center is crucial and is a stepping stone for all veterans at Rio Hondo.