(Camden, NJ) – Camden County College opened a dedicated area for veterans at the Camden City Campus that provides a quiet respite for studying and rejuvenating before and after classes.
“Camden County College takes its commitment to our nation’s veterans and service members seriously, so we are proud to open the Veteran’s Outpost at the Camden Campus,” said Freeholder Melinda Kane, liaison to the Camden County Office of Veterans Affairs. “In addition, Camden County College maintains a Veteran’s Service Center dedicated to assisting veteran students and is a nationally recognized military friendly school.”
The Camden County College Veterans Service Center assists veterans with applications and certifications, including those for benefits available under Selected Reserves, the Montgomery G.I. Bill, the Post 9/11 G.I. Bill, Vocational Rehabilitation and Survivors, and Dependents Educational Assistance.
“Camden County College recognizes that higher education is a major step in transitioning from military to civilian life,” said Camden County College President Don Borden. “That is why we have a Veterans Service Center that works with veterans to build a successful future and connect them with services on and off campus.”
The college’s veterans center provides Veterans Administration work-study information and opportunities and access to a special on-campus veterans lounges on the Blackwood and Camden Campuses. The center also provides access to a licensed clinical social worker on campus and provides referrals to the Camden County Department of Veterans Affairs and Camden County Mental Health Services.
Camden County College has once again earned the Military Friendly® Schools designation for 2019. Each year, institutions across the country are identified as top choices for providing post-secondary education to veterans and their spouses.
The Military Friendly® Schools list is created each year by the VIQTORY organization based on extensive research using public data sources for more than 8,800 schools nationwide, input from student veterans and responses to the Military Friendly® Schools survey from participating institutions.
Meet Kojo Abanyie (18), a pharmacy student transferring to Rutgers this year. Kojo is a member of the Chemistry Club and Phi Theta Kappa. Kojo started as a dual credit student, which made it easy for him to get his high school diploma and college credits at the same time. “There are a lot of professors here that work at other institutions of higher learning,” which means he is getting the same education someone else is paying much more to obtain. Kojo wants the Rohrer Foundation to know that he is thankful for the recognition of his hard work. He promises to continue to work hard in the future. Kojo believes donating to a scholarship fund “is a good thing to do because it not only helps with someone’s money situation, but also gives them encouragement to continue to do well.”
Meet Kristin Burke (37), an elementary education major transferring to Stockton to major in liberal studies. Kristen wants to become a middle school teacher. She is a member of Phi Theta Kappa and is secretary for Kappa Delta Pi. Kristin remembers, “I had a job that I hated and had to drive past the College to get there. One day I decided, I’m going to apply to this college and change my life. And I did. And I don’t regret it.” She wants her donor to know, “It’s a wonderful thing that you’re doing and it’s changing peoples’ lives. It’s changing future generations as well. My children are watching me work hard and my students are going to know that I got scholarships. I plan on telling everybody about how CCC did this for me and you don’t have to go hugely in debt at a four-year university right away. It’s affordable and workable, and the scholarship really is changing lives.”
Meet Elizabeth Doan (20), a double major in education and foreign languages. She wants to transfer to Rowan and major in musical education so she can travel the world and teach music. She chose CCC because she was a NJ STARS recipient, and it was close to home, but once here, Elizabeth realized, “it’s so sophisticated. There’s so much going on and it’s such a vibrant campus with so many different programs.” She is thankful to Linda Rohrer and the Rohrer Foundation. “Thank you so much to Linda Rohrer. This isn’t the first scholarship I received from her. I’m so honored that her foundation supported me as an incoming CCC student and now a transfer student.”
Meet Mia Sanchez (20), a business administration student at CCC transferring to Rutgers-Camden to earn her bachelor’s degree. Mia also has been an intern at the US Embassy in Azerbaijan. She currently works at The Center and is an executive board member for Phi Theta Kappa. Regarding her scholarship, Mia wants her donor to know: “This scholarship made my future education possible and took away a lot of the financial burden placed on me.” She believes, “People who are capable should invest in students like me, so we can focus on school without having to worry about money.”
Meet Khyia Ward (20), a psychology student transferring to Rutgers-Camden. She is a member of Phi Theta Kappa and also recently was voted Alumnae Trustee, which allows her to sit on the College Board of Trustees for one year. Khyia believes, the teachers were very supportive of me and other students. Everybody was trying to work together to get a degree and move you on to the next step. There’s just a really good support system here at Camden County College.” She wants her donor to know, “Thank you so much. You have no idea how this impacts a person’s life. This is going to help me pay for things that I wasn’t sure of before.”