McHenry
County College student Steve Czarnecki has been getting reacclimated to
civilian life after serving four years in the U.S. Navy through August 2012. As
a boatswains mate third class aboard the USS Mesa Verde LPD-19, he saw more of
the world in four years than most of his peers would see in a lifetime.
He was
deployed to the Mediterranean, Caribbean, Arabian and Persian Gulf regions,
which included two combat zones, one off the coast of Iraq and one off of
Libya, during the Libyan uprising. He piloted his ship across oceans and worked
as an onboard firefighter. When the earthquake hit Haiti in 2010, Czarnecki
operated a forklift to unload supplies from the ship and helped build makeshift
hospitals as part of a humanitarian effort by the U.S. and other countries.
Transitioning from Sailor to Student
Czarnecki,
who lives in Woodstock, enlisted in the Navy at age 17. While his high school
classmates were starting new jobs or preparing to go away to college in the
summer of 2008, Czarnecki departed for boot camp at Great Lakes Naval Base and
was stationed in Norfolk, Virginia the following December.
“I always had a fascination with
ships. They represent strength,” he said.
Now, the
23-year-old veteran is using his Post-9/11 GI Bill toward college tuition,
books and a living stipend. He enrolled at MCC last spring to begin working
toward an Associate in Applied Science degree in fire science and hopes to
someday apply his valuable military experience toward a firefighting career.
“Being in the military matures you a lot,” Czarnecki said. “I have a unique
point a view coming out of the Navy, but it’s lonely sometimes because I’ve
done so much in my life and then I come here and everyone’s just starting out
with their adult lives. It’s about trying to fit in.”
Student
Veterans Resource Center Is Officaly Open Since Nov. 8
Czarnecki
understands the daunting task of returning home from the military, looking for
a job and fitting in again. He plans to help other veterans become successful
in their educational endeavors and transition into the workplace through his
student worker role as liaison for McHenry County College’s first-ever Student
Veterans Resource Center. The center officially opened on Friday, November 8 to
offer outreach to the more than 320 active veterans of all ages who attend
college classes at MCC.
The
center’s hours are Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Services
include: technology guidance for class registration, grant and scholarship
applications, visiting speakers from Veterans Assistance Commission (VAC) and
Transition Living Services (TLS), access to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
(PTSD) counseling, and information about the new statewide Get Skills to Work
initiative, a career training partnership with manufacturers and community
colleges. Veterans can also participate in Voices of Veterans, a peer group
exploring the art of writing about their experiences.
The
Student Veterans Resource Center is located inside the MCC Humanities Office in
Room C122. The newly-designated space gives the MCC Student Veterans
Association (SVA) a regular place to meet on the first and third Wednesdays of
each month.
Outreach to Student Veterans
“I’m glad
the College established this Center,” said Czarnecki, who also serves as
treasurer for the College’s SVA. “My goal is to reach out to the student
veteran community and to make the center’s presence known. We want to learn
what’s important to them and what services need to be at the school.”
“Vets
feel disjointed when they come home. Our new veterans’ center will help them
work together and build upon each other. They will help each other with their
studies and in the classroom,” said MCC Accounting instructor Don Curfman, who
serves as advisor to MCC’s Student Veterans Association.
“It’s a
tremendous support for the veterans. MCC has really stepped up in the last
three years in working with veterans. This is just one example of the best
support of military causes throughout the county that I’ve seen in my 45 years
as a veteran,” said Curfman, a retired Navy lieutenant commander who served
over 10 years of enlisted service, including during the Viet Nam Conflict.
Student Veteran Population Expected to Grow
According
to Lori Keller, associate dean of Humanities and Social Sciences, having the
dedicated physical space for the veterans enter allows the college to apply for
grants to further the academic support for student veterans. “The Center is
focused on education and our academic component is to help veterans through
their educational journey, to graduate and to transition into the workforce,”
Keller said. “We’re also exploring ways to empower skills and training gained
in military as it translates to civilian education,” she said.
According
to the Department of Veterans Affairs, more than 850,000 troops have returned
to civilian life since mid-2009. MCC has gained 125 veterans between last
spring and this fall, bringing the total student veterans to 320 and college
officials expect that number to grow.
“It’s
smart for the college to invest in veterans because the student veteran
population will grow because the military is downsizing to save money,” Keller
said.
Joe’s Wish Books Scholarship Available
for Veterans
The
Student Veterans Resource Center is also a place where veterans can find out
about scholarships, including Joe’s Wish—Operation Re-Boot, a books scholarship
for veterans offered by the Friends of McHenry County College Foundation. Joe’s
Wish was established in 2011 by McHenry resident Marianne Ruiz in honor of her
father who served in the U.S. Air Force for more than 22 years. Joe’s Wish is
dedicated to granting wishes in his memory.
To be eligible for this scholarship
that will award its first MCC recipient(s) in Spring 2014, applicants must be a
veteran of the U.S military, former or active member of the Reserves, Coast
Guard or National Guard and be a resident of McHenry County and submit a
150-200 word essay outlining his or her educational goals.
For more
information about the Student Veterans Resource Center, contact Don Curfman at
(815) 455-8731 or mchenrycc.sva@gmail.com.
