Laurel Ridge Community College is one of five community colleges in the state to receive $200,000 for an initiative titled, “Virginia Veterans Service Demonstration Project.” The money received was originally part of a United States Department of Labor grant with the purpose of improving the delivery of workforce and employment services for veterans.
This initiative provides veterans with college credit for the college-level learning acquired through past military service and training, coursework to obtain additional skills and credentials, and mentors to help navigate these individuals while in college.
Andrea Lo, Veterans Specialist at Laurel Ridge, said, “We seek to provide our veteran students with the skills, knowledge, resources, and personal connections they need to achieve their academic goals, and the new Veterans Mentor Program is a good example of this.”
The Veteran Mentor Program matches one student with one veteran mentor in the community. Both meet once a week, over a cup of coffee, meal, or event. The college will also host trainings and social events on campus for mentors and their students. Some of these may include:
- Interactive Job Workshop
- Family Potluck Dinner
- College Skills/Study Skills Workshop
- Sporting Events
- Family Movie Night
“A mentor is someone who can be a coach, comrade, and friend to the student. There is a wonderful intrinsic reward playing a role in someone else’s success, ” explained Lo.
Virginia’s veteran population is growing. According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the commonwealth will be home to nearly 850,000 veterans by the year 2017, ranking it 5th in the nation in terms of veteran population. “At any given time, Laurel Ridge averages about 120 veteran students,” said Lo.
For more information regarding the Veterans Mentor Program or any of our veteran services, contact Sharon Painter at 540-868-9753 or email [email protected].
Laurel Ridge is celebrating its 7th year with the designation as a Military Friendly® School. The Military Friendly® School designation is awarded to the top colleges, universities, community colleges and trade schools in the country that are doing the most to embrace military students, and to dedicate resources to ensure their success both in the classroom and after graduation.