My Journey –
From the Military to College and Beyond!
Here are first-person accounts from some of more than 300 veteran scholars who attend De Anza College each year. They have chosen to share their journeys – from serving in the military to pursuing a college education and future goals.
Drew Moore
- U.S. Navy, six years
- Business Administration major
- Transferring to San José State, fall 2020
Amrit Samra
- U.S. Marine Corps, four years
- A.A., Liberal Arts (fall 2019)
- Transferring to UC, Santa Cruz
Racheal Gauley
- U.S. Navy, four years
- Business Administration major
- Transferring to San José State, fall 2020
Juan Esteban Jara
- U.S. Marine Corps, eight years
- Communication Studies major
- Transferring to San José State, fall 2020
Traciemarie Sanjuan
- U.S. Navy, nine years
(resumed active duty due to COVID-19) - Nursing major
- Working toward university transfer
Hassan Al-Awady
- U.S. Army, three years and six months
- Computer Science major
- Working toward university transfer, 2021
Christopher Carter
- U.S. Marine Corps, five years
(plus one year in SMCR reserves) - Political Science major
- Working toward university transfer, 2021
Keanu Spindola
- U.S. Marine Corps, four years
- Business Administration major
- Working toward university transfer, fall 2021
Lance Carmichael
- U.S. Air Force, eight years
- General education student
- Planning to become X-ray technician
About This Project
This project grew from my personal research, professional experiences and direct interaction with my veteran students. While there are many aspects of these heroes’ lives that should be honored, I wanted to highlight one area in particular – their challenges and successes in pursuing higher education.
The purpose of this project is to acknowledge our veterans’ experiences and celebrate their resiliency and success as college students – including the hardships faced, the obstacles overcome, and the resources that proved helpful along the way.
Attending college can be exciting and difficult. It requires hard work, determination and consistent effort. Our veteran students often must learn new ways to navigate the educational system and available resources, while coping with personal challenges and the transition to civilian life.
Through this project, our veterans have told the stories of their own personal journeys from the military to college. I am certain these stories will have an impact on those who read them, and I hope they will foster appreciation for our veterans and their service to this country.
I would like to thank a number of people associated with De Anza College who trusted me to propose and implement this project. These include Rob Mieso, vice president of Student Services; Nazy Galoyan, dean of Enrollment Services; Roland Amit, senior supervisor in Enrollment Services; Shari Pasquali and Bertha Sanchez, veteran resource specialists in the Veteran Services Office; Brandon Bailey, writer and editor in the Office of Communications; the Foothill-De Anza Foundation – and most importantly, the student veterans who contributed their stories.
Manija Ansari
Veteran Services Counselor
De Anza College
June 22, 2020