Established in 2008, the Veterans Resource Center at Cal State Fullerton has a mission of providing veterans and military-connected students the services and programs they need to achieve personal, academic and professional success.
Among the nearly 300 veterans on campus, about 25% are female, and to serve the specific needs of women veterans, along with the several hundred female students who are military-connected, CSUF’s Veterans Resource Center offers women and family programming that ranges from activities and monthly brunches to weekly discussion groups and community conferences.
“When we think about Veterans Day, it’s very common for people to only think about males as being veterans,” said Rosalina Camacho, women and family coordinator at the VRC. “Our team’s goals are to create visibility for women who have served, uplift the experiences of the women and create space for them. They have done great things for our country.”
Cal State Fullerton senior Paulette Tapia served as an active duty member in the U.S. Army for seven years and is currently in the U.S. Army Reserve. She transferred to CSUF when the veterans center at Cerritos College referred her to the Titan campus.
After a positive experience with the VRC’s staff and students in her first semester, Tapia decided to work as a peer adviser to provide support to incoming students as they navigate their benefits.
“They made me feel part of a community,” Tapia said. “It was nice to be able to connect with people that share similar experiences and continue to build a community like we built in the military.”
Tapia will graduate this summer with her bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and plans to apply for a position with the Department of Homeland Security.
“I know that they made my college experience exceptional,” Tapia said. “If I didn’t have the Veterans Resource Center, I don’t think it would have been the same experience. I’m grateful for the people that…
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