Presented by AT&T and Featuring Distinguished Alum Andrew Hanson
Event will be streamed online and is open to the public
(SANTA ANA, Calif.) Santa Ana College (SAC) celebrates veterans throughout the month of November and serves them year round. In special recognition of Veterans Day, the SAC Veterans Resource Center (VRC) will host an online forum. This virtual celebration, which is presented by AT&T, will feature other philanthropic stakeholders, including U.S. Bank and the Stanley W. Ekstrom Foundation. Distinguished veteran and SAC alumnus Andrew Hanson, a litigation attorney in Washington, D.C., is scheduled to be the keynote speaker.
The event program also includes remarks from student veterans, awards, and a veteran alumni panel. All are invited to view the live event, which will be accessible on Zoom on Friday, November 13, 10 a.m. until 12 p.m. (PST). The public can access the event at https://cccconfer.zoom.us/j/95102139934. No registration is required.
This event represents the important work that takes place throughout the year at the Santa Ana College Veterans Resource Center (VRC) which was created to help incoming veteran students at SAC transition from soldiers to scholars by assisting them with accessing Veterans Affairs education benefits. The VRC also directs students to campus services that help them succeed in their educational goals. Student Veterans can gain access to resources such as transportation, housing, childcare, book stipends and more through the Center’s work. Additionally, specific outreach, counseling and resources are available to support veterans during this difficult time.
“The SAC Veterans Resource Center is unparalleled in quality of service and its commitment to student welfare. When I started the process of applying for benefits and registering at SAC, I was overwhelmed, but the VRC guided me," said Rebekah Miller, SAC alumna. "They have, on many occasions, been the only outlet to resources that helped me maintain financial stability and peace of mind that I, otherwise, would not have known about. If it weren’t for the Center, I would not be as academically successful as I am today.”
Keynote speaker Hanson credits his wife, also a Santa Ana College Alum, with helping him find his path at the college after his deployment. She encouraged him to enroll at SAC and to take advantage of all that the Veterans Resource Center had to offer. Prior to attending SAC, Hanson served in the U.S. Marine Corps with 1/1 Weapons Company as a TOW Gunner from 2006-2010, where he deployed overseas as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He is a graduate of Harvard Law School, obtained a B.A. in Political Science from Stanford University and earned an A.A. in Political Science from Santa Ana College. While at SAC, Andrew served as the Student Trustee on the Rancho Santiago Community College District (RSCCD) Board of Trustees, and Student Representative on the Orange County Community Colleges Legislative Task Force where he represented the interests of community college students in RSCCD and the greater Orange County area, all while receiving resources and support through the VRC.
Hanson currently resides in Northern Virginia with his wife and three children and serves in the Washington, D.C. office of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, LLP.
This event also represents and celebrates the many contributors, supporters, and stakeholders that allow VRC to thrive. AT&T’s presenting sponsorship contribution represents their ongoing support of the Santa Ana College Veterans Resource Center. In 2013, the company announced its commitment to hire 10,000 veterans and, after reaching that goal in 2016, AT&T agreed to hire an additional 10,000 veterans, for a total of 20,000 by 2020. In November 2019, AT&T achieved that goal early – more than a year ahead of schedule. AT&T remains dedicated to helping veterans transition to civilian life and the company said it is honored to support the SAC Veterans Resource Center and their important work of serving the nation’s heroes.
“I’ve always seen a lot of growth at SAC with the students [at the Veterans Resource Center]," said Richard Porras, Assistant Vice President, AT&T California, also an alum of Santa Ana College. “It’s been a fixture in Orange County. [The VRC is] really helping the vets, and making sure they get what they need.”
This event is a collaboration between the Santa Ana College Foundation, Office of College Advancement and the VRC to shine light on the importance of student veteran support year-round.
For more information on how you can support student veterans, visit sac/edu.foundation or call Santa Ana College Foundation Executive Director Christina Romero at (714) 564-6091.
To learn more about the SAC Veterans Resource Center, visit sac.edu/vrc or call Dr. Brenda Estrada, Director of the Santa Ana College Veterans Resource Center at (714) 564-6134.
About Santa Ana College
Santa Ana College (SAC), which turned 100 years old in 2015, serves about 18,000 students each semester at its main campus in Santa Ana. The college prepares students for transfer to four-year institutions, and provides invaluable workforce training and customized training for business and industry. In addition, another 11,000 students are served through the college’s School of Continuing Education located at Centennial Education Center. Ranked as one of the nation’s top, two-year colleges awarding associate degrees to Latino and Asian students, the College is also recognized throughout the state for its comprehensive workforce training programs for nurses, firefighters, law enforcement and other medical personnel. SAC is one of two comprehensive colleges under the auspices of the Rancho Santiago Community College District.
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