As U.S. veterans head home from the conflicts overseas, the COC Adult Reentry and Veterans Center continues to serve an ever-growing population of student veterans who have sought out COC as their first stop on the path to educational and career success.
By advising students on how to utilize their veteran educational benefits, apply for financial aid and navigate the wide range of student services and support programs designed to help all students meet their educational goals, the Center has also seen the college’s student veteran graduation rate increase by more than 50 percent since 2012-13.
With the recent passing of federal legislation directing U.S. colleges and universities to charge in-state tuition to all student veterans and their families, regardless of residency, those numbers are only expected to rise in coming years.
Established in 2014 by the Slocum family, the scholarship is meant to honor Ricky’s memory while assisting other local student veterans in obtaining the skills, training and education necessary to improve their ability to be self-sufficient.
The Ricky Slocum Memorial Fund Scholarship is one of three veteran specific scholarships offered at the college and this year, two $1,000 scholarships were awarded to COC student veterans Ryan Brown and Yves Cachuela.
Cachuela, an Iraq combat veteran, enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps immediately after high school in search of the educational opportunities provided through the military.
During his deployment Cachuela was injured and became physically disabled. In the months that followed he completed various rehabilitation programs and therapy sessions, discovering in the process a career calling to become a physical therapist.
Following his honorable discharge in 2012, Cachuela returned to COC as a kinesiology sports medicine major, with a dream of one day being able to positively influence other veterans in the same way that his physical therapists did for him.
“Instead of imagining what you can become in the future, lead the way to make that future,” said Cachuela, in offering advice to his fellow student veterans. “I say ‘don’t follow your dreams, lead them,’” added Cachuela. “Lead those dreams and success will follow.”
Brown, an Afghanistan combat veteran, served in the U.S. army and was honorably discharged in 2005. Currently working a full-time construction job and attending class full-time, Brown is majoring in small business management. His career goals are to complete his associate degree, obtain his contracting license and eventually run his own construction business, with a focus on providing job opportunities for his fellow veterans. With his G.I. Bill benefits expected to exhaust in the fall, this scholarship award will help Brown bridge that financial gap, removing a potential obstacle from his educational path.
For more information about the College of the Canyons Adult Re-entry & Veterans Center please visit www.canyons.edu/offices/va/ or call 661-362-3718.
Student Veterans Continue to Find Success at College of the Canyons
