VEERA ‘Gold’ award for student veterans

For the fourth consecutive year, South Texas College Veterans and Military Services has been honored by the Texas Veterans Commission (TVC) for excellence in education and services to student veterans and their families.

TVC has announced that STC has been awarded “Gold” through the Veteran Education Excellence Recognition Award (VEERA) for the 2022-2023 school year and will officially present the award to the college in the coming months.

The VEERA award recognizes institutions that provide excellence in education and related services to veterans and promotes best practices by awarding Gold, Silver and Bronze-level statuses.

“We are very grateful and honored for another year of recognition with the VEERA Gold Award. It is a big privilege as an institution and as the veterans department to serve our community of veteran students as well as active-duty members, spouses and dependents,” said Javier Guajardo, STC coordinator of Veterans Recruitment and Engagement. “From our staff to our leaders at South Texas College, we strive to give the deserved attention and provide all necessary resources to our veterans, so that whichever career path they take at our institution, we make it a smooth of a transition, and at the same time, have every Veteran student take full advantage of their benefits to achieve their academic goals

The VEERA award marks the third gold award given to STC’s Veterans and Mlitary Services office since 2020. As of the fall 2024 semester, there are currently more than 800 veterans utilizing education benefits across all STC campuses.

To receive the highest recognition of “Gold” status by TVC, the department has exemplified excellence based on at least 12 criteria including being a centralized place for students who are veterans to meet or find assistance and information, as well as employing veterans who serve as points of contact for other student veterans.

STC and its Office of Student Veterans Affairs are dedicated to serving veterans, active military, reservists, spouses and dependents by offering a wide variety of resources, support, and advocacy so student veterans succeed in meeting their higher education goals.

“Our office earns this award every year through a process on multiple fronts to provide opportunities for our student veterans,” said Javier Cardenas, Veterans Affairs outreach and certifying official at STC. “This award really affirms how our office is always on the lookout for student opportunities. Whether it’s part-time work, scholarships or work study jobs, our goal is to continue to not only seek out these resources but implement them for the betterment of our student veterans.”

TVC also requires that an institution utilize a United States Department of Veterans Affairs work-study program, enact admissions and enrollment policies for veterans and train faculty and staff on issues affecting student veterans.

The college has long been regarded as among the Top-10 colleges in the nation for serving military and student veterans with a strong commitment to creating successful outcomes for those who are often entering college for the first time.

STC student and Marine Corps veteran Joe Valencia said he has been taking classes on and off since 2013. Currently employed as an automotive technician, Valencia said attending STC has enabled him to compete for supervisory positions at work.

“I came to college about a year after I left the Marines because I knew I had to be competitive in the job market. Each time I have walked through that door, I always knew that our veterans office would know exactly what I needed and what classes were covered. The college has always made the process very easy. Coming here is a no-brainer,” Valencia said. “To veterans still on the fence about coming back to college, I know it may seem daunting sometimes to begin the application process and then fill out all the forms from the VA for their benefits, but STC is well known for having people like Javier (Cardenas) who are here to walk them through the entire process from start to finish. They will point you in the right direction.”

For more information on veterans’ services at STC visit www.southtexascollege.edu/veterans/.