I graduated from High School in Mt. Holly, NJ in 1994 and passed up several college scholarship opportunities before entering the US Army. I served six years as a US Army MP until I was medically separated by injuries sustained on active duty. I also suffered from PTSD. After a series of jobs in civilian life, including delivering furniture, I hurt my knee and had to quit work. With no education and a physical disability, I had few prospects. HCC changed everything for me. I attended HCC on the GI Bill. My interactions within the Advising Office put me in contact with employees of James A Haley Veteran Hospital who hired me in the VA work-study program. Upon entering HCC, I was nervous and tentative about my abilities as a student. Small class sizes enabled me to form relationships with professors who helped inspired the confidence I needed to succeed. I graduated from HCC with a degree in Computer Science and was hired as a full-time employee for the VA, while still working at the Dale Mabry Campus. Shortly thereafter, the VA Certifier at HCC received a promotion and I applied for the job wanting to serve other veterans like myself. Today, I am a VA Counselor in the office of Financial Aid and Veteran Student Affairs at HCC.