Ocean County College OceanViews Magazine 2026 Winter Volume 19 Issue 02 - Flipbook - Page 14
CAMPUS IMPACT
A PLACE TO BELONG
Inside OCC’s Veterans and Military Resource Center
Each year, nearly 200 veteran and militaryaffiliated students utilize OCC’s Veterans
and Military Resource Center (VMRC). For
many, transitioning from military service
to civilian and academic life can be overwhelming, but inside the VMRC they find a
community that is committed to helping
them succeed.
The VMRC’s unique approach begins with
something deceptively simple: visibility.
When Christina Hernandez arrived at
Ocean County College to lead the center,
her first step was to ensure that students
could see her.
“When I first came here, the desk that I sit
at was on the far wall of the office,” she
explained. “If I’m sitting over there in the
corner with the door shut, I’m not seeing
students who are walking by. So I had
Facilities come and move the desk.” With
her door open, she greets the students by
name, knows their majors and schedules,
checks in on their progress, and learns
what’s happening in their lives. The office
has become a space where the students
feel welcomed and seen.
That personal attention and care is nonnegotiable in the VMRC. Hernandez, the
center’s assistant director, and Jessica
Richardson, coordinator of veteran
resources, take a holistic approach. They
don’t simply register students for classes;
they walk through each student’s goals,
strengths, challenges, work schedules,
family responsibilities, and learning preferences – all factors that have a profound
impact on academic success.
“We’re not just asking, ‘What do you want
to study?’” Hernandez explains. “We’re
asking, ‘What are you good at? What do
you enjoy? What do you not enjoy? What’s
realistic for your life right now?’”
They also help students navigate the
intricacies of college life: how to access
their courses and files, communicate with
instructors, and build schedules that work
for their lives. Academic culture is very
different from military culture, Richardson
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notes, and expectations that may seem
“obvious” to traditional students can feel
foreign to those coming from a highly
structured environment. Something as
simple as reaching out to a professor for
help may require coaching.
Hernandez and Richardson also help
students manage the added complexity
of using VA benefits, with bureaucratic
forms, credit, and course requirements,
and timelines that might otherwise be
overlooked. By reaching out to assist students proactively, they can help prevent
small oversights from becoming major
obstacles.
But perhaps the most powerful feature
of the VMRC is its community. Located in
the student center, the office blends structured support with relaxed connection,
offering study and social spaces, a computer lab, even a small library. Students
gather in the lounge to work, play games,
decompress, or talk with peers who understand their unique experiences. Drawing
on their counseling and social work backgrounds, Hernandez and Richardson have
incorporated social-emotional learning
into their interactions, using tools like a
“feelings wheel” to help students identify
and articulate their emotions, often a new
skill for those adjusting to civilian life.
These moments spark conversations and
build solidarity, creating a peer network
that enables them to feel part of something larger. Special events, such as birthday parties, graduation celebrations, and
family-inclusive activities, reinforce that
sense of belonging.
Another barrier the VMRC helps dismantle
is the pressure some veterans feel to pursue certain majors traditionally associated
with military backgrounds. Hernandez
and Richardson encourage the students
to explore identities and interests beyond
their service roles. “We’ve had veterans
say, ‘I thought I could only be a criminal
justice major because I was infantry,’”
Richardson says. “We tell them they can
do all sorts of things. We encourage them
to become who they want to be.”
This empowerment yields results.
Students who once hesitated to speak in
class now lead clubs, present at conferences, and take on a mentoring role for
others. Richardson recalls one student,
Matt, who was quiet and uncertain when
he arrived; today he is president of the
Student Veterans Club and the student
speaker at an upcoming mental health
summit.
Hernandez and Richardson attribute
their rapport with students to their commitment to keeping it real. “Everything
that we do, we do with authenticity,”
Richardson says. “We have to, because
they will call you out.” Hernandez agrees:
“Our students can tell immediately if
someone isn’t genuine. Trust is everything. If they can trust us from day one,
they’ll come back. They’ll stay. They’ll
succeed.”
As higher education increasingly recognizes that a sense of belonging is
essential to student success, the VMRC
remains committed to fully supporting
each student’s journey. “We’ve been
doing that all along,” Hernandez says.
“
Building a sense of belonging and
community was the grounding pillar of
what we started doing here. We have
been very intentional about making
all of our students who are militaryaffiliated feel like they belong here.
– Christina Hernandez,
assistant director of VMRC
”
