South Texas College wins national veteran awards

MCALLEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — South Texas College was recently given two national awards for helping veterans in the Rio Grande Valley.

The awards received were the Military Friendly Gold Award and the School Spouse Award from the VIQTORY veteran organization.

Javier Cardenas, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and STC VA Outreach official, said they won in large part due to community engagement.

“The fact that we won gold speaks volumes about our initiatives. They’re taking notice, and we’re trying to get more face time directly with our veterans. We want them to know these are your benefits. Utilize them.”

Cardenas said that STC most importantly lends health and information services to vets in need, such as Border Patrol and troops in Operation Lone Star, “troops from all over the state that are deployed down to the border right now, we participated with other members and getting them the resources they need. So we’re talking mental health panelists, we’re talking education specialists." he said.

In light of the awards, STC plans to rejoin the group Student Veterans of America and continue improving veteran assistance.

"It’s another one of the steps towards getting our veterans additional scholarships, getting them access to exclusive job fairs for members of the SVA, national conferences, and grants," said Cardenas.