Alumni – Class of 2022 with Justin

Transcript

Next up is Justin, a US Army veteran, SCC alumni, and a current adjunct professor. We’ve heard Justin has had quite an adventure, and we can’t wait to hear how the Veterans Resource Center has helped you transition from military life to student life. The floor is all yours, Justin, take it away.

– Thanks, Alex. When I found myself in the midst of a career change, I knew I had to find a school that offered the right courses to help me excel. As a United States Army Veteran, it’s also important to me to find a school that had a great Veterans Resource Center, and Santiago County College was the clear choice. SCC is the first and only higher education institute in the country that offers an Associate’s degree in Code Enforcement and Compliance. They also have partnerships with the California Association of Code Enforcement Officers and offer the three required trainings to become a certified code enforcement officer in the state. There is also a certificate of achievement and certificate of proficiency in code enforcement students can earn as well. During the enrollment process, I was put into contact with the SCC Veterans Resource Center. The staff was amazing. They helped me navigate through the complexities of the VA process. They ensured that my veterans benefits were being used to their full extent. They even put me in contact with a local charitable organization who gave me a laptop at no cost. The SCC Veterans Resource Center truly made me feel at home here on campus, and they lived up to their motto of “What happened here matters.” They were more interactive and responsive than any other campus I’ve been to. Even after graduation, they continued to send me newsletters and updates for local events so I didn’t feel forgotten. SCC put me on a path for success in my career field. I ended up being recruited to become an adjunct professor right here at SCC to teach code enforcement to others. And not long after, I was offered a promotional opportunity as the Code Compliance Manager for the city of Cathedral City. Anything here at SCC is possible and that’s just my story. Class is here. Take it away, Alex. All right, class.

– Justin, we are so glad you found opportunity and support. Here at SCC, veterans and active duty members are provided access to their VA education benefits, which allows them to reach their educational goals. And SCC’s Veterans Resource Center is there every single step of the way. Thank you for your service, Justin, and thanks for sharing your story.