Veterans Graduation 2023

First and foremost I would like to thank my family for always being there for me and always being supportive. Without them I would not be who I am and where I am today.

Secondly, a huge thanks to Lan and Bertha for all the academic support and understanding, you both made my transition to civilian/college student life seamless. I attribute much of my success at De Anza to those two outstanding ladies and their continued support to veterans like myself.

Semper Fi.

Thank you to my family for the love and support to pursue higher education later in life. My wife has given me so much time to study and work on all my classes, and I appreciate it very much. She has handled so much with our kids and extended family; I am lucky to have her. With all her love, support, and positive reinforcement, she helped me through the dark times when I didn't think I was doing well enough.

My brother, a Marine veteran, helped motivate me to pursue education after a long gap in employment. He showed me with his actions that grunts like us could be highly successful in academic spaces. I can't believe we're both infantry and were accepted into universities our childhood teachers wouldn't even imagine we could accomplish.

Ma, thank you for your love and support and for not giving up on me. I can't believe I made it to the school you always dreamed I would attend. Thank you for believing in me.

Thank you to the De Anza Veterans Resource Center for all their hard work and support on and off campus. After serving as an infantryman and experiencing hardships, education seemed impossible. Going back to school after 13 years was a considerable challenge, but every experience I had fueled me as a student. Lan, thank you for supporting my applications and helping me get the accommodations I did not even know I needed. I will always remember what you have done for me, and I greatly appreciate all of your help.

To the service members that will read this, if I can, I believe you can also do it. I had a 1.6 GPA in high school, had several D's and F's in college for the first time, and had a long gap in employment. I accepted my fate as a disabled combat veteran that dwelled in the past. Finally, I acknowledged what bothered me the most and decided to act just like I did when I witnessed the Twin Towers fall. We are the less than 1% of the American population that takes the oath; you are more than capable of pursuing education and achieving success in anything. Do not self-select yourself out of any opportunities because you deserve to have them!

I took a longer path and faced many obstacles to reach this point. I rewrote my journey multiple times. My significant achievements include being the first woman in my family to graduate high school, becoming a Marine, earning an associate degree in business administration, and getting accepted into San José State University for a major in business administration with a focus on data analytics.

I owe my success to the support of my parents, my Marines, the guidance of Bertha, Lan, and the unwavering belief of my loving wife. I hope whoever reads this is inspired to persevere and remember that it's never too late to chase a new dream.

Rah and Semper Fi!

I could never have done this without the support of my friends and family. Now I’m off to get my bachelor’s degree and more! Never been happier!

I would like to thank all my fellow Marines for pushing me to be my very best, even when times were the toughest.

Having to support myself from scratch in Silicon Valley is not easy: $0 in the bank, multiple jobs, moving into a bedroom-sized studio, and going to college full time is not easy. But it is the fellow veterans and Marines who kept telling me that I can do it, that pushed me to the end. And for that, I am forever grateful.

My two years at De Anza were filled with growth, knowledge and support. I'm grateful to the Veteran Services Office for supporting me through the whole process and mapping my journey to graduation. I would like to give a special thanks to Ms. Lan Truong for her thoughtful counsel and support, because I couldn't have done it without her.

To my fellow veterans: Starting over is tough but you don't have to be alone in this process. Utilize the benefits you've earned and talk to the people that are here to support you!

Never complain about an outcome you didn't fight for. KEEP GRINDING