Maya Angelou quoted, “How important it is for us to recognize and celebrate our heroes and she-roes.” On Monday, November 12th the Monroe College faculty, staff and students gathered in King Hall Gym to honor our veterans. The pep rally which began at 1:45pm was a short but special event. The veterans marched into the gym while the audience stood and passionately saluted them. Among the people in attendance was Dean Roberta Greenberg, the Vice President for Student Affairs. She thanked the veterans for their services and sacrifices. President Jerome addressed the Veterans; he not only thanked them for their service to the United States, but commended them for continuing their education.
Ricardo Benejam and Miguel A. Salamanca, proud veterans who are both Criminal Justice Majors in the bachelors program shared their story explaining their transition from the military to academia. They thanked the Monroe College community for helping them adjust to life as a college students. Monroe College currently has over 300 registered veteran students. With the help of the Veterans office directed by Allen Hansen and the Student Veterans Club, the Veterans feel greatly appreciated. The Veterans club has over 50 active members and they meet every Tuesday from 12:00pm to 1:00pm in King Hall Rm 211. Their mission is to assist veterans in their successful transition to academia, develop programs and policies on campuses to aid in the reintegration of veterans and advocate on behalf of Student Veterans at the state and national level. Each veteran in attendance received a lunch voucher compliments of the JAG and the Student Activities Office. Everyone stood and applauded as the veterans made their way out of the gym. On behalf of the Student Activities Office, staff, faculty and students of Monroe College, we would like to say special thank you to our Monroe Veterans! |