Metro Supports Veterans Who Need a College Degree
Veterans of the military complete bachelor’s degrees less frequently than civilians, and the Metropolitan School is seeking to close this gap for DC veterans with a federal grant under which we provide precollege training and counseling to DC vets who don;t have a bachelor’s degree.The grant program, called Veterans Upward Bound, already has served more than 100 DC veterans, and we plan to expand far beyond that. It is designed to assist low-income, first-generation college student veterans to enroll and be successful in postsecondary education.
We have great success stories to share. Aaron Patin, an Army veteran, came to us looking for assistance in enrolling at a different institution and loved the atmosphere and relationships here so much that he is now a fully enrolled undergraduate student at CatholicU with only 18 credits left before completing his Bachelor's degree. Mattea Brandon, a Navy veteran, came to us during a very difficult time in her life and has since been able to flourish. While she has decided to move on to a different institution, with our help and guidance she is now a Dean’s List student at her current school.
We also partner with local veterans serving organizations such as Tech For Troops, a non-profit organization that helps veterans in need get computers, tablets, and other electronic devices to aid in their education and career development, Through this partnership three of our VUB enrollees have received laptops at no cost to them and we expect to provide the same to an additional 45 veterans. Veterans on the Rise (VOTR) is a 501 c (3) non-profit organization dedicated to providing a holistic system of care to fight veteran homelessness in the greater Washington DC area. The VUB program hosts a monthly outreach event at the VOTR headquarters where we provide a free meal and information on the different educational benefits available. We also offer assistance with resumes and cover letters as well as financial literacy and job placement.
In a wonderful way to celebrate Veterans Day, the VUB program arranged for Caldwell Hall to be the venue for a book fair sponsored by Blue Star Families, First Book, and other partners. At the fair, 35,000 STEM-related books were distributed free to children and educators. CatholicU President Peter Kilpatrick read We Will Rock Our Classmates by Ryan T. Higgins, a lovable story about Penelope, a guitar-strumming dinosaur.