2017 Veteran of the Year | Access Magazine
For the last five years, the Veterans Education Program at Fresno State has provided veterans with access to higher education. Available for current or past service members, the program is designed for first-year student veterans and acts as a gateway to full-time coursework.
By working with veterans denied admittance into Fresno State, or those eligible for admittance but lacking the necessary credits, the program creates a parallel admission route into the University. A program of the Division of Continuing and Global Education, participants work as a cohort, and upon completion of the program, have the option to matriculate at Fresno State as full-time undergraduate students.
One such student is Jordan Cody, who entered the program in spring of 2016 and completed the program that fall. During that time, Cody acted as a leader and resource for new student veterans joining the program. Cody’s first semester as a full-time student, spring of 2017, was also his first as a student assistant in the Veterans Education Program.
“My experience as an assistant has been wonderful,” said Cody, who is studying communications. “I maintain contact with all of the students, I make sure that I am available to them if they need anything, inside and outside of the classroom.”
As a graduate of the program, and through his role as a student assistant, Cody provides indispensable guidance to incoming student veterans. “He has a very positive impact on the program,” said Dr. Daniel Bernard, executive director of the Division of Continuing and Global Education. “Cody’s background in the military, and with our program, allows him to connect with current students in a unique way.”
In addition to taking a leadership role as a student assistant in the program, Cody tutors and mentors current student veterans. He not only encourages students to become involved on campus and in the community, but is involved in community outreach, attending functions to represent the Veterans Education Program. Cody has also presented at military bases throughout California, sharing his experience in the program and illustrating how it can be transformative for veterans seeking higher education.
Cody’s commitment to the program and fellow student veterans is just one reason he was chosen as the California State Assembly’s 2017 Veteran of the Year. "It's an unbelievable feeling," said Cody, who was honored by Assemblyman Jim Patterson at the 10th Annual California State Assembly Veterans of the Year Luncheon. "I just wanted to help other student veterans the way I was helped when I first started. I am honored and humbled by this award.”
Cody, who served three deployments in Afghanistan, has received numerous personal awards for his service, including the Combat Action Ribbon, Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with Valor, the Good Conduct Medal, and the Afghanistan Campaign Medal.
“He was chosen due to his distinguished service and dedication to education for himself and his fellow veterans,” said Bernard of Cody’s designation.
All course sections of the Veterans Education Program are created specifically for student veterans. The program’s curriculum includes English, math, and communications courses, as well as writing seminars, and an introduction to the University. Established in 2012, the program hosts a wide-range of workshops on topics such as post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injuries, available not only to student veterans, but the Fresno State community, local veterans, and their families.
In addition to an impressive selection of coursework, cohorts are involved in community outreach, including service efforts such as Toys for Tots and on-campus activities such as Vintage Days. Students in the Veterans Education Program have also participated in program-related outreach, including presentations to the Semper Fi Fund in Palm Springs and Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton.
Access Magazine is a publication of The Division of Continuing & Global Education at Fresno State.