Veterans appreciate support they find at CSUMB

By Mark Muckenfuss

With its diverse student population, Cal State Monterey Bay has plenty of affinity groups on campus. But only one has a national holiday. 

Veterans Day honors the men and women who have served our country, ready to put their lives on the line to protect the freedoms people often take for granted. Veteran students say they not only take pride in that recognition, they also take comfort in having a dedicated space on campus to connect with fellow veterans: the Veterans Resource Center.

Ryan Grimes, 41, served in the Marine Corps from 2002 - 2008 as a basic logistics and embarkation specialist and left the service as a corporal. He deployed to Kuwait and Iraq for nine months in 2005. He said he appreciates the fact that CSUMB has a veterans center on campus that provides support to students who served in the military. 

“I’m there any time I’m on campus,” he said, “as frequently as I possibly can. It’s really important to me that I have that work area. I get a lot of work done in that center. Me being an older student, it can feel a little weird at times. It’s imperative for me to have that space.”

Fellow veteran Monica Andrade, who spent seven years in the Army as a logistics specialist, also likes having a place to relax with people she feels better understand her and her experiences. For her, the Veterans Resource Center is a bit of an anchor. 

“It’s very important,” she said. “Even though I’m into social issues, I’m not a very social person.”

Andrade was deployed to Iraq from 2005 - 2006 and lived through mortar attacks on the Green Zone area where she worked in Baghdad. She appreciates being able to connect with fellow veterans, a group she feels comfortable with and supported by. A mere half-hour conversation can create a friendship that feels as if it was established years ago, she said. And it can result in unexpected things. 

One recent encounter with another veteran, she said, quickly evolved into a food challenge involving eating ants with salsa. It turned out to be a bonding opportunity fueled by shared determination.

“We’re not going to back down from a challenge,” she said. “It’s like I was back in the service.”

Andrade is majoring in Human Development and Family Sciences after transferring to CSUMB from Hartnell College last spring. She eventually would like to work in writing policy, something she probably would not have pursued without her military experience.

“It changed my perspective,” she said of her time in the Army. “It got me interested in how government and politics work. I’m very much involved with my community.”

She is a board member for a number of organizations, including the Democratic Women of Monterey County, the Housing Resource Center and the Salinas chapter of the League of United Latin American Citizens.

She likely would still be in the Army if not for her family. She enjoyed her job and the military life, but being a single mother with three young children made it impossible to be the mother she felt she needed to be. The oldest of the three, Clarissa Garza, is now a fellow Otter. She transferred to CSUMB this fall as a liberal studies major and is part of the Teacher Pathway Program. 

“It’s cool that we’re both in this journey together,” Andrade said. 

On Veterans Day, she said, she will take time to enjoy connecting with loved ones. 

“I just spend quality time with my family,” she said, both immediate and military. “I check in with military friends online. Just reflecting on what we did out there and the war. We raised our hands and wanted to serve. We were there for each other and whether we liked each other or not, we got it done. You focus on what is important, and that’s getting everyone home.”

Marine veteran Grimes will spend the day at the Veterans Parade in Hollister, where he lives. He is a member of the local Veterans of Foreign Wars chapter and co-chaired the event. 

“This year I was voluntold to get involved,” he said with a chuckle. “I won’t be in the parade but I’ll be helping out on the sidelines and manning a booth trying to raise money for an organization that’s called Wreaths Across America.”

The non-profit lays Christmas wreaths on veterans’ graves across the country during December. 

He said it is important to recognize the commitment of those who served.

“I can guarantee you if you talk to a veteran, they feel forgotten at some point in their life,” Grimes said. “We’re not sitting there looking for all these accolades. But just know there are people out there who served this country and could have given their lives. Just know that we are here and recognize the fact that people like us do exist.”

After leaving the Marines in 2008, Grimes spent more than a decade working in heating and air conditioning. He didn’t find the satisfaction he was seeking. 

“The main thing was, I have a desire to be of service to people,” he said. “I had a little bit of time off from work because of the pandemic and it gave me some extra time to reevaluate what I really wanted to do with my life.”

In 2021, he enrolled at Saratoga’s West Valley College, focused on earning a psychology degree. He transferred to CSUMB in 2023 because he heard good things about the professors and the program here, liked the campus environment and was impressed by Giselle Young, the veterans services coordinator. In the spring, he plans to graduate. 

“I’m working on getting into a master’s program, either in marriage and family therapy or being a licensed professional counselor,” Grimes said. “I’d like to give back to the veteran community.”

Veterans, he said, add to the diversity of the CSUMB student population. 

“There is wisdom you can learn from anybody, but I do kind of appreciate that there are other students who maybe recognize I have a lot more life experience,” he said. “I do like to share my personal wisdom. Veterans have a different type of work ethic, but also a different type of outlook on things as well. Sometimes there are bad days. In the military, we learn to embrace it and get done what we need to get done.”

Veterans, who may feel isolated because of their experiences, also benefit from the rest of the campus community, Grimes said. The welcoming nature of CSUMB helps pull them into the mix.

“It helps them stay connected to the civilian world,” he said. “To be honest, I was a little concerned at first, going into a university setting. The fact that I’m a vet makes me a little bit different. But all of the students and faculty have treated me like any other student. It’s all been very welcoming.”