Veterans Resource Center helps servicemen transition to civilian life

Zachary Vasquez served as a sergeant, squad leader and indirect fire infantryman in the army for five years. Now he is studying psychology at NSU.

Vasquez remembers how difficult the transition was from being an active member of the service to being a veteran living a civilian lifestyle.

“The hardest part is the meaning,” Vasquez said. “You come back and you find it hard to find that meaning you felt in the army. So I decided to come to school, to help me fill that void.”

More than 1,000 veterans and members of the military have attended NSU. To help assist veterans in their transition from military to civilian life, NSU has established the Veterans Resource Center.

Located on the first floor of the Carl DeSantis Building Atrium, in room 1045, the Veterans Resource Center, has a variety of resources to aid in this transition.

Avalyn Crosson, freshman law and international studies major, works at the Veterans Resource Center as a coordinator. Crosson became a member of the VRC staff because her father, Major Jeff Crosson, served in the U.S. Army for 20 years before retiring.

“For veterans specifically, we [the VRC] help them with a variety of tasks that help in their transition,” Crosson said. “One of the main tasks we do here to help them is connecting them with the right resources. A lot of the time, veterans do not really know what to do when it comes to resources in the area. So they call our office and ask about specific resources they need assistance with, and we point them in the right direction.”

Vasquez uses a resource through the VRC called the Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment benefit. This benefit assists in providing employment to veterans who suffered injuries during their service that may impact their work after leaving the military.

“For me, I have a bad back. So with the benefit, it helps me find services I can work with without using my back. I’m studying psychology at Nova, and that does not require my back, so it helps,” Vasquez said.

Another resource available to veterans is the Veterans Access Clinic and the “Veterans Access Clinic Grant,” jointly sponsored by NSU and the State of Florida Department of Health.

“The Veterans Access Clinic, VAC, has a grant for veterans and their spouses, which allows them to get free help with optometry, hearing, dental, mental health services and more,” Crosson said. “Many do not know about benefits like this, so we [the VRC] help in informing them and providing them help in civilian life in any way we can.”

The VAC also hosts events for veterans on campus that connect them with more resources in person.

“We previously hosted an event called the Veterans Affairs Stand Down. The Veterans Affairs team orchestrates the event with different organizations in the area that help veterans. We had organizations specializing in assisting homeless veterans or veterans in need of jobs all available for them in one spot for them to learn about,” Crosson said.

Crosson encourages all students to attend, regardless of their background or knowledge of the military.

“We at the Veterans Resource Center would love for students to come out to our events. Even if you don’t know anything about the military, we would still love for you to come and learn, become more educated, and just enjoy time with the veterans,” Crosson said.