HIGHLIGHTING CAMPUS PROGRAMS

CSM Veterans get support at Resource Center 

by Rose Garcia, CSM Veterans Resource Coordinator

My name is Rose Garcia. I am the Veterans Resource Coordinator here at the College of San Mateo. I fell into this position and it has changed my life. I love working with the Veteran students here on campus.  

The Veteran students on campus are an amazing group of people and I am honored to do whatever it takes to help them. We provide many services at the center. We have academic, educational, career, and mental health counseling inside the center. We help each Veteran fill out Vonapp, Financial Aid, Ebenefits, VA Health Benefits, Certification and enroll at CSM. We help gain outside resources such as housing, childcare, food, books, computers, etc.  We hope in the future to provide bookstore vouchers, scholarships, mentorship programs with four-year colleges, and veteran peer counseling.  

We have recently celebrated our two-year anniversary, the number of students using the center and our resource services has tripled and it is only going to keep growing in volume.  We have approximately 300 Veteran students on this campus.  Our program’s goal is to integrate these students back into our communities and provide the skills necessary for them to succeed. The idea is to help these veteran students feel safe and supported and flourish as students throughout their academic careers here and to ensure an easier transition from service to student and eventually back into the workforce.