When someone is called to join the armed services, they wrote a blank check made payable to “The United States of America,” for an amount up to and including their life. As a nation, we owe a debt of gratitude to those who write that blank check for our freedoms. One of the many ways we can begin to repay that debt is by helping veterans earn their degrees and achieve their educational goals when they have completed their service.

At Marshalltown Community College, we are proud to help with this process as a Veteran Serving Institution.

• Credit for Time Served — At MCC, we believe that the experience you gain in the military should mean something. We consider it the ultimate on-the-job training, and we give course credit for the time veterans spend in the military and apply it towards their degree. We help map the experiences they have gained into academic credit.

• Make Connections — We know that a veteran’s experiences are different from the experiences of their peers, so we have specific support and fellowship groups for people who have served. These groups encourage networking, and build a community.

•A Designated Space — Veterans often need a place that allows them to shut out the noise of everyday life. We offer a Veteran’s Lounge, which is a quiet place for veterans to step away and reflect, study, or simply spend time. This space is being renovated, and will be a refreshed space very soon.

• Supporting Our Own — The veteran’s groups on campus hold fundraisers and offer support to the people in the Iowa Veteran’s Home, located on the north side of Marshalltown. The second largest Veteran’s Home in the country, it offers endless opportunities for fellowship and service opportunities for our military veterans.

• Access — This February, the CVA had the honor of hosting Senator Chuck Grassley’s Veteran Fellow, Harrison Swift. Both veterans and active duty students had the opportunity to share their experiences during the listening post. SSGT. (Retired) Craig Maggard, 7th Special Forces Group United States Army, and Private first Class (E-3) Luz Morciego discussed the entrance requirements to the military, the quality of care at their local VAs and access to healthcare.

At MCC, we know that service and community is important, we and strive to provide these resources to our veterans. We are celebrating National Invest in Veteran’s Week, observed March 1-7, because we believe in investing in our greatest asset. We hope you’ll join us in honoring the service and commitment of our veteran’s that week, and every week.

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Jasmin Cisneros is a Student Finance Advisor and Veterans Coordinator for Marshalltown Community College.