He could study in between breaks in his classes
in the peace of the private room, or lounge and
watch music videos or movies from new leather
furniture, often surrounded by other veterans
who’ve taken a similar path to GCU. The Veterans
Center is their refuge.
“There’s so many of us here, we’re happy to help
them out, get them straight, help them get to
where they need to go. We look out for each
other,” Colombel said.
The Veterans Center often provides retired Navy
hospital corpsman
TimWalker
with a calm, quiet break
between classes. The 29-year-old southern California
native moved to Phoenix to take psychology classes on
campus to earn his bachelor’s degree by December.
Walker planned to graduate quickly to move on to
master’s studies so he can eventually work with other
veterans who, like him, suffer from the flashbacks and
nightmares related to post-traumatic stress disorder.
After eight years as a medic attached to the First
Marine Division and a Marine air-wing unit, Walker
has four tours worth of memories from high-intensity
combat situations in both Iraq and Afghanistan.
Focusing on studies can be difficult on some days
with the activity and crowds on campus, so the
Veterans Center is a place Walker can find a little
extra solitude, where he doesn’t need to explain
his history or condition so much.
Billing specialist
Jessica Christenson
, known by
many of the campus veterans as “Jess” (or their
“den mother,” as Colombel joked), works Monday
through Friday at the Veterans Center. She helps
student veterans navigate their benefits with the
VA and also joins the potlucks and get-togethers.
The vets also are teaching her the military lingo she
needs to truly blend into their circle.
Seeing young men and women from the ongoing wars
in the Middle East sharing the same space is gratifying,
Christenson said. She loves coming to work for that
reason and being in a position to help those who’ve
sacrificed so much through their service.
“I think this is an area where they’re on the same
page,” Christenson said about the range of veterans
who visit the center. “From boot camp to wars …
they just see things that (many Americans) haven’t
seen or experienced.”
■
May 2013
P16
GCU’s Military Division staffers visit the Arizona Veterans Home to honor veterans during Memorial Day events. The division includes dozens of veterans who understand
military service first-hand, while other counselors have experienced seeing loved ones deploy overseas. Photo by Jak Keyser
Tim Walker, 29, served as a Navy
corpsman medic over four tours in both
Iraq and Afghanistan. He said GCU’s campus
culture is relaxed and helps him focus on his
psychology studies as he copes with post-traumatic
stress disorder. Photo by Darryl Webb
