Meet the Praccess Veterans Education Grant Recipients
The Praccess Veterans Education Grant is designed to help California veterans transition from military to civilian life by reducing the obstacles to obtaining and benefiting from a post-secondary education. Below are the recent grant recipients. If you are interested in applying for a grant, click below for more details.
Memorial Day 2022 Recipients
Jonathan Rodriguez
Jonathan reached the rank of Sergeant of Marines in only three years, receiving meritorious promotions to the rank of Corporal and Sergeant. He served as a Field Radio Operator and a Radio Chief, participating in two Unit Deployment Programs to Japan. Jonathan experienced difficulty transitioning from the Marines, asserting that he was wrongfully accused of misconduct. He is attending Long Beach City College majoring in Addiction Studies. He hopes to transfer to the University of Southern California, and ultimately to assist those seeking to achieve sobriety.
Erica Honda
Erica had a promising career in the Coast Guard cut short due to a brain cancer diagnois. Her surgery and subsequent medical discharge made her realize how short life can be and led her to pursue a career in recreation administration. She is currently enrolled in a master’s program at Cal State Long Beach in hopes of making a positive impact in the community through rec and wellness programs.
Deborah Sloan
Deborah served as a personnel management specialist in the Army, helping deploying soldiers. She attained the rank of E-4 and was an expert in the M-16. She is currently a substance abuse counselor and is seeking to return to school to obtain a master’s degree to reach the next level in her career. A recent widow, this grant will help offset the cost of gaining this advanced degree.
Veterans Day 2021 Recipients
John Contreras
John served in the Marines as a Aviation Operations Specialist, deploying to Afghanistan in 2012 with a Harrier Jet squadron. After leaving the Marines, John graduated magna cum laude from UC Santa Cruz. John is currently obtaining his Masters of Fine Arts at San Jose State. He teaches art therapy classes at the Santa Cruz Main Jail, leveraging his combat experience to help inmates process trauma.
Jesus Rangel
Jesus served as an Aviation Electrician’s Mate in the Navy and is now majoring in electrical engineering at the University of San Diego with hopes of a career in avionics. After dealing with bouts of alcoholism, Jesus is now 14 months sober and a volunteer participant in the Coalition of Sailors Against Destructive Decisions where he mentors sailors and picks them up from bars to prevent DUIs.
Marcos Alvarez
Marcos joined the Army in 2000, hoping to obtain his citizenship and work experience as a Utilities Equipment Repairer. He spent eight years on active duty, nearly half of them in Iraq. At first, Marcos struggled to transition to civilian life, dealing with untreated PTSD. Fortunately, he was able to obtain treatment at the VA and today Marcos is a student at Rio Hondo College where he is studying to get his Associates Degree in electrical engineering with hopes for a career in electric vehicles and hydrogen fuel cells.
Maleah McCoy
Maleah is midway through her MBA at the University of Maryland. She was a Petty Officer in the Navy where she served in several law enforcement positions, including anti-terrorism posts and emergency dispatching where she learned to deal with high stress emergency situations. Upon completion of her MBA, Maleah plans to open a restaurant near her residence in Gardena.
Juan Contreras
Juan is seeking his B.A. in Clinical Counseling and Applied Psychology at Mount Saint Mary’s University. He hopes to start a private practice as a therapist to help veterans going through mental health challenges. Juan grew up near Bakersfield. Both of his parents were farm workers. He enlisted in the Army in 2016 where he eventually became a team leader. Juan reports that there are times when his bills pile up and he does not have much left over for necessities and that this grant will help him stabilize his financial situation.