YUMA, Ariz. – Army veteran Marci Farbor says starting life as a civilian after the military is an eye-opener.
“Us as veterans, we are starting a new life and we are starting a new path in our life,” said Farbor.
She says she notices a different level of maturity between her and her fellow classmates who have not served in the military.
“Some of us have family, some of us have children, and some of us all we know is the military,” said Farbor.
Veterans like her were given the opportunity to share their personal experience transitioning from the military to Arizona Western College during the “Vet Net Ally Seminar” The benefits were two-fold; it also gave educators a closer look at some of the challenges of being a veteran student.
“Most of them don’t know much about the military. They know people who have been in the military, they are supportive of people who have been in the military, and the people who are in the military, but they don’t really know what that means,” said Dr. Marshall Thomas, who is with Vet Net Ally Program.
For some staff, having veterans on campus is common; staff not knowing how to approach veterans on campus is also common.
“It’s going to make me more sensitive to their needs of what to ask, what not to ask. Group work was mentioned, which I do in my classes, maybe I can modify it and make it a little bit easier for the students,” said Professor Donna Taylor.
Everyone who attended today’s seminar got a sticker with the “Vet Net Ally” logo to let veterans know that they are part of the program. Some veterans say feeling in-tune with their new life can close the gap on learning new skills too.
“Help us learn how to study; because some of us don’t have those tools, some of us have been out of high school for 10-years. So, studying may be something new to relearn, you know?” said Farbor.