From over 45 nominations submited by veterans served, fellow Vet Corps members, supervisors, and college presidents faculty and staff 13 Vet Corps members and 1 regional coordinator where recognized for thier hard work and dedication to the veterans of Washington State. June 30th marked the end of the 2014-15 Vet Corps service year seeing over 9,000 individual veterans across the state connected to made aware of or educated about the services avaialble to them on and off the college campus. Vet Corps celebrated this extreamly succesful year with an end of year service project and awards ceremony in Longview Washington.
Veteran of Vet Corps
Glen Boje, Miguel Escalara, Martin Jonquiere, Stephen Killian, Jaime Yslas
This award is for all Vet Corps members that have served a third year or more with the program. For the highest level of dedication any Vet Corps member can demonstrate and achieve, this award acknowledges selflessness, fidelity, service longevity and unwavering loyalty to helping the veteran population.
Trailblazer Award
Angel Gonzalez City Univeristy Seattle
This award is given to an outstanding Vet Corps member who has worked tirelessly at a new location for Vet Corps, to reach an entirely new community of veterans. This award is granted to truly dedicated and industrious individuals that work to build relationships, pool resources, assess a new site and provide outreach to a new population of veterans.
Vet Corps Peace Prize
Robert Gumm Spokane Community College Colville
This award is given for outstanding communication, dispute resolution, cooperation, compromise and an always peaceable foresight. This person must be dedicated to group cohesion and team harmony.
Innovation, Invention, & Institution Award
Rachel Hayes Bellvue College
This award is given to a member who has generated novel and valuable ideas and used these ideas to develop new or improved processes, methods, systems, programs or services. The award recognizes creative ideas that have improved the veteran community.
Diversity leadership Award
Mark Von Weber Edmonds Community College
This award goes to a champion of diversity and minority support. This awardee honors the diverse population of our world, and works to increase mutual understanding. This Vet Corps Member promotes the appreciation and wisdom of the many cultures that influence modern society and a globalized world. Building diplomatic relationships, this person instills values that promote tolerance and understanding across boundaries of language, land, and time.
Excellence in Professionalism
Dan Nessley Growing Veterans
This nominee is consistently dedicated to professionalism in dress and demeanor. Ceaseless etiquette and the utmost respect were demonstrated throughout the year. Adhering to high values and principles of integrity, honesty and fairness, this individual consistently addresses others with courtesy and kindness.
Site Collaboration Award
Martin Jonquiere Pierce College Puyallup
This award is presented to the Vet Corps member that has provided outstanding service to individual students or student groups on their campus on a consistent basis, whether through collaboration, personal advising, development of programs, or improvements to college systems and policies that affects students.
S.T.A.R. Award (Service, Teamwork, Attitude & Reliability)
Michael Cox Spokane Community College
This award is given to members that consistently excel in their position; has made outstanding contributions in the area of service and dedication; has promoted teamwork and collaboration; has worked tirelessly to improve their surrounding veteran community; and who has consistently done so with a positive and forward-thinking attitude.
Vet Corps Coordinator of the Year
Melissa Crouse South Sound Regional Coordinator
Regional Coordinator carries with it duties both to the colleges, as well as the veteran clients, the WDVA and the Vet Corps member themselves. Coordinator of the year is an award that is reserved for some one that exemplifies the Vet Corps mission of “Empower and support those who served, their families and our communities”
Vet Corps Member of the Year
Jaime Yslas Seattle University
Honoring the qualities of leadership, service, integrity and commitment, this member carried out his or her volunteer responsibilities the entire year with unwavering diligence and compassion. Using the same criteria as Member of the Month and Quarter, this award goes to the Vet Corps member that served the veteran population and Vet Corps throughout the year as an outstanding servant leader, colleague, mentor, team member and friend.