Transitioning from the rigors of military life to college living can be a challenge, says Jessica Garcia, political science major and president of UCI’s Veterans Professional Fraternity. As the UCI representative on the newly formed University of California Veterans Advisory Council, she’s hoping to change that.

“Connecting with other students can be hard for vets because they come in having lived this whole other life before college,” she says. “Because of this, vets often feel socially isolated, like they don’t fit in.” It’s also a challenge going from a very regimented, routine lifestyle to one in which there is no set pathway, she adds.   

The California native knows this first hand, having attended Orange Coast Community College following a five year career gathering intelligence for the Army.

“I struggled adjusting to academic life and felt really alone. There weren’t any transition classes to help me learn how to be a student again – I had to figure most of it out on my own,” she says. “If you don’t know where to start, it can be overwhelming.”

When she got accepted to UC Irvine, she made a concerted effort to go out and find clubs and organizations to make social connections. She made use of the School of Social Sciences’ knowledgeable student affairs staff who helped her find courses and clubs that fit her needs and interests. She joined UCI’s professional fraternity for vets and her position involves working directly with UCI’s Veterans Services Office, one of only three such dedicated offices to veterans in the UC system.

In February, Garcia was selected to serve as the UCI representative on the new 10-student UC Veterans Advisory Council. In this role, Garcia meets directly with UC president Janet Napolitano to discuss issues facing veterans returning to school. The group has already made some headway in tackling the challenges these student face, sharing ideas to develop a course aimed at helping in-coming veteran transfer students learn the college ropes.

Her hope is to make this class available starting in the fall quarter, and she’s working with political science professor Caesar Sereseres to make it happen.

“We want veterans to succeed at UCI,” she says. “It’s important for veterans to know that there are services on campus to help them reach the next step which is career placement or grad school.”

Learn more about veterans services at UCI and the new University of California Veterans Advisory Council.

-Heather Ashbach, Social Sciences Communications