In an interview with KHTS, Renard Thomas, 21-year army veteran and director of College of the Canyon’s Veteran Resource Center (VRC), urged veteran students to reach out and learn more about making the most out of leveraging their benefits. 

Thomas, who joined the military at just 17-years-old, attributed his internal growth to his experiences in the United States Army, but acknowledges that more accurate and reliable information is needed for veterans to fully leverage their benefits and improve their quality of life. 

“One of the challenges veterans have is they might not know what all their career options are,” Thomas said. “So that’s what we try to do: really try to help them align their academic experience with a career objective, so that they can improve their quality of life after service.”

The COC VRC, the largest veteran service provider in the area, offers military-connected students access to crucial education benefits to provide accurate and reliable information to ensure academic success, according to their mission statement. 

See Related: COC Veteran Resource Center Assists Student Veterans During Pandemic

During the interview, Thomas acknowledged that “it is a great time to be a veteran,” however many lack the necessary guide to fully take advantage of their service benefits. 

When COC student and former United States Marine Marissa Muñoz looked to the center for assistance, both she and her husband felt relieved. 

“I felt very fortunate to be able to attend school full time and receive a housing stipend,” said Muñoz, who also works as a VRC college assistant, in a previous KHTS article. “I feel really supported at College of the Canyons. The VRC always has the answers to my questions, and if they don’t, they always point me in the right direction.”

Muñoz had been given the direction necessary to access her G.I. Bill benefits for the Fall 2020 semester, a bill granting qualified veterans and their families funding for school costs and housing stipends, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. 

To learn more about how the VRC and how to leverage veterans benefits, click here.

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