On November 26, 2019, the Associated Students of Skyline College (ASSC) hosted a Gratitude Dinner honoring Skyline College’s student veterans. The event kicked off with an activity led by Interim Student Life Manager Alvin Gubatina, where round tables mixed with ASSC council, student veterans and staff had a menu of questions to ask each other to break the ice. Questions ranged from appetizer questions “What do you do when you’re not working?” to entree questions “What is on your bucket list?” to dessert questions “Are you afraid to speak your truth?”
Veterans Resource Center Coordinator Gina Ciardella shared her words of gratitude for the campus’s student veterans as well as shared Interim Jannet Jackson’s words in her absence: “The gratitude dinner is a validation of your commitment to the values and mission of Skyline College to empower and transform a global community of learners. But by your actions, you are empowering…Continue to collaborate, be curious, seek answers, and build community.”
The event was not only held for appreciating student veterans’ service but also as a time of coming together as a student community through fostering respect and recognition of each other’s efforts, whether large or small scale. ASSC commemorates student veterans’ service during the thankful season.
For more information on the Veteran’s Resource Center, contact Gina Ciardella at ciardellag@smccd.edu. To reach out to the Center for Student Life and Leadership Development, contact Interim Student Life Manager Alvin Gubatina at gubatinaa@smccd.edu.
Article by Marie Kyla Perez | Photo by Alvin Gubatina
