Veterans Resource Center offers guidance for student veterans on campus.

Through the center, 500 veterans a month get mentoring and help transferring to other colleges and applying veterans’ benefits for education. The GI Bill offers educational assistance to service members, veterans, and their dependents.

“What I do is try to help that population understand what it means to go to school and use their benefits, and how to actually understand how to transition to the college from the military,” said Harlan Harrell, military/veterans student success and retention adviser.

Veterans have access to a study room in the Resource Center in the library. Veterans also get access to adjustment counselors, whom Harrell calls “transition therapists.” Reconnection workshops are also available to help veterans transition to civilian life.

In addition, the center trains administrators, faculty and staff to advocate for student veteran equity on campus.

The college remodeled and added programs to the Resource Center in July 2015.

Pedro Marin, an engineering transfer major and U.S. Navy veteran, said transitioning to campus life can be difficult. Veterans have to adjust to civilian life from their military life, he said, so getting used to dealing with faculty, staff and students may take time.

“[Veterans] are coming to [AACC] to trust us with their education,” AACC President Dawn Lindsay said. “We wanted to put our veterans in the center of resources that can help them, and give them an area where they feel safe.”

The campus celebrated Veterans Appreciation Week from Nov. 7-18 with activities including a Veterans Day ceremony and reception in the west campus Ampitheatre on Nov 11.

More than 1,500 veterans attend AACC. More than half are women.