The Los Medanos College Student Veterans Club had the to meet with Congressional District Representative Ryan-Thomas Brown to discuss veteran use of resources. The meeting held in the Veterans Recreational Center, was broken up into a morning and an afternoon session.

The first meeting and the beginning of the second centered around Veterans Club President Michael Moran. He discussed future events as well as upcoming fundraisers, ways to make the club’s presence more well known on campus — not just among the general student public but also to the population of other student veterans on campus.

“There are 335 student veterans according to Admissions and Records attending Los Medanos College,” said Moran, “which means that there are 335 students, and a speculated much more not part of the Veterans club and not utilizing all that’s available at the Veterans Resource Center.”

The remainder of the meeting consisted Representative Brown along with fellow guests Representative Tito Ramos, and UC Berkeley social worker Bryan Vargas , all of whom spoke in detail the types of services available to student vets that they may not be aware of as well as their own experiences being veterans themselves.

Vargas touched upon how he utilized some of these same resources years ago. Vargas has spent the last four and a half years of his life to helping veterans, but he attributes a great deal to the resources that were made available to veterans, student veterans especially, as well as the G.I. Bill. These resources helped him transition back into civilian life. He spoke to the insecurity newer vets can feel sometimes about taking advantages of certain veteran resources.

“They are indeed for you,” said Vargas, “Living your best life by way of these resources is what you deserve and you are honoring those before you by doing it.”