Thank You

Dear Jim,


    I am so very grateful for the mentorship and opportunities you have provided me with. I consider myself very fortunate to work for you. You have always had my development as leader in this field as a priority, and I cannot begin to thank you enough. Your leadership and stellar example to all veterans is without equal in my opinion. It is no wonder that you have been recognized by the First Lady and Generals Petraeus and McCrystal, for your work with veterans. It is honor to follow the path that you blazed for veterans interested in social services.

Beyond the professional kindness you have shown me, your friendship and guidance has truly helped me in dark times. When I have faced doubts, you have supported me and motivated me. When I graduate, you will be among the names I am thanking in my head as I walk across the stage.

Lessons Learned

While my fellowship ends in August, I have already adjusted my goals. Having worked over 350 hours at this point, I have come to realize that the goal of housing 50 veterans simply isn't feasible on my current timeline. The bureaucracy dictates that housing homeless veterans in stable and permanent homes is a lengthy process. It is dependent not only on member of my organization (VOALA), but also the VA social workers, and city and county housing employees. When you throw in landlords, it becomes very difficult to coordinate between all parties.  A three month process would be a very quick housing of a veteran.

Initially I was very upset at the realization that I would not meet my goal. But I have learned that in aiming for such a lofty goal, I am working at level I didn't know I was capable of. This disappoint has turned into an opportunity for growth. It has also spurned to find ways to streamline the process.

My favorite place

Since I was a young boy, my favorite place has been Catalina Island. About 30 miles off the coast of Los Angeles, its features only one town named Avalon. Some of my fondest childhood memories are of walking down the ramp of the Catalina Express boat and looking eagerly at the town about a eight of a mile away. The small pier had cotton candy and fish and chips, the smells would draw my little body ahead of my parents rushing towards Avalon. My next stop would of course be the small arcade.

As a pre-teen I would go camping and kayaking, and at 12 I was certified as diver of the Casino Point. Later after having joined the Marines, I would take weekend trips with my girlfriend to island.

Safe to say, when I found out I was going to be a father, I already had a name in mind.

Collaboration

With the recent VA scandals, several groups have called for the dismantling of the medical system. The media has called it but dysfunctional. A lot of people might attribute this to a lack of funding. For of my PAF 400 course I researched the barriers to properly implementing veterans homeless programs. I found that the federal level of government spends a significant amount of money on grants and housing vouchers to aid in the housing of homeless veterans. The federal government partners with non-profits to provide programs like Supportive Services for Veterans Families (SSVF) and U.S. Department of Housing and Development- Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH). The goal of SSVF is to promote housing stability for veterans and their families by providing housing assistance and services if they are homeless or are at risk of becoming homeless, while the VASH program provides vouchers that allow a veteran to pay 30% of their income towards rent with the VA and HUD covering the rest.

What it comes down to is not a lack of funding but the need for further collaboration between the VA and community partners. The programs that were most successful were the ones that featured VA responsiveness to the needs of the community partners operating the SSVF and VASH programs through grant money.

The Dreaded Drive...

One thing I am not going to miss about attending ASU is the commute! I have enjoyed all my classes this last year, but the drive is just too much. It is a good thing I'm graduating because I don't think I could make drive any longer.

I'm not one to complain, but did I mention I have a ridiculous commute. Although most of my coursework was completed online,  two have been hybrid courses. I know, I know, just two?

Did I mention I live in Los Angeles? I basically live where the 10 freeway ends, about  2 miles shy of the beach. So hybrid classes make for early mornings, and ummm well early morning returns.

Wouldn't change a thing, so happy to have had the opportunity to attended on campus. Been a really great experience, I'm just kidding about complaining so much.

Fatherhood

I had no idea what I was capable of until I became a father. Before my son Avalon was born, I was not a motivated student. I took the occasional class at Santa Monica College but never fully devoted myself to my studies and my grades reflected it. Despite only being a few math courses shy of the transfer and AA requirements, I had little interest in taking  statistics. Math had always been a weakness for me, so much so that I figured I would never finish school.

And then I got the news! Suddenly statistics wasn't such a daunting task. My son was born February 4th, 2013. It was almost as if my body knew what was coming decided it was go time. I was a dedicated student when I finished my coursework at SMC in December of 2013. I entered ASU with an eagerness to learn and gain the skills necessary to provide my son the best possible opportunities. I feel so fortunate to have had this focus and drive coupled with an amazing university. I feel extremely prepared to enter the workforce.