Sauk Valley Area Army Veteran Continues to Serve

By Debra Tennison

When Army Veteran Eric Valdez completed five years of military service in the US Army as a Military Policeman, he wasn’t quite sure what he wanted to do next. Valdez has since brought the military culture of service into his civilian life as he continues to serve fellow veterans and their families.

 Valdez decided to enroll at Sauk Valley Community College, using his VA benefits to their fullest, earning two Associates degrees between 2014 and 2017.

Valdez is a financial aid advisor and coordinator for veterans’ services at SVCC, serving our local veterans, their spouses, and their dependents. While taking his required courses he got involved in a work study program in the financial aid department at SVCC between 2014-2017. When a permanent position opened in the financial aid department Valdez accepted the position and began to work his way up to his current position. 

Valdez has committed himself to assisting our veteran students or their family members to obtain all the financial assistance available to them. There are multiple programs accessible to vets and their family members that can help offset the costs of continuing their education.

According to Valdez, there have been as many as sixty veterans enrolled at SVCC at one time, prior to Covid. With the onset of Covid those numbers decreased. Currently there is an upward trend in veteran enrollment with thirty-three veteran students now enrolled. 

Valdez observes that nursing and the multi-craft programs like welding are the main careers that draw veterans to SVCC, though there are other career paths that are also being pursued, including the CDL truck driving program.

Valdez says he gets the word out to local veterans through community outreach and knitting in with the local recruiting stations in an attempt to educate and inform veterans and their family members about the financial services available to them.

Valdez gets great satisfaction to see veterans earn their degrees. He is committed to helping them to reach their goals. Some veterans even progress on to other institutions to further their education. As he continues to serve the veteran population, Valdez feels gratified to know that he was able to assist them in reaching their educational objectives.