L to R: Dr. Claudia Lee (Vice President, Student Services), Jessie Orozco, Dr. Susana Castellanos-Gaona (Manager, SSSP, Student Equity, Veterans Resource Center)
The Tierney Center for Veteran Services announced one of its Spring 2018 Veteran Service Award recipients on Wednesday, August 8, 2018. GWC student and veteran, Jessie Orozco, was honored with the first-place award of $1,000 for his participation in the veteran survey program. “I’m feeling very grateful and happy,” said Orozco. “I’m not one to ever win anything, but I decided to take a shot at this. It’s a great feeling.”
A resident of Garden Grove, Orozco served in the Navy from 2005 – 2012, and was stationed in Virginia Beach, VA and Bahrain. “Coming out of the military is a really hard transition,” said Orozco. “The VRC [Veterans Resource Center] at Golden West College helped me get on the right track. Being able to come in to do my homework, grab a snack, and be around other vets made things easier.
For Orozco, the most beneficial service of the VRC was the constant support provided by personnel. “It took me a while to get to where I’m at. I had a lot of ups and downs, but I had a goal in mind and wanted to prove to my son that I could do it.” Orozco’s goal was realized in May 2018, when he graduated with an AA in Accounting. He plans to return to GWC to take a few more courses before transferring to a four-year institution.
