Alex Lopez is a veteran, a Saddleback College alum, and will soon be a Berkeley Bear. Alex credits the faculty and staff at Saddleback for helping him get into Berkeley. He graduated Saddleback with an Associate of Arts degree in psychology and a 3.74 GPA, but it wasn't always easy for the Navy veteran, who overcame substance abuse and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder resulting from his time in the military. For him, the support and services offered by the college's
Veterans Education and Transition Services (VETS) Office was immeasurable in helping him transition from military to civilian life.
"In my opinion, Saddleback College has a wealth of support to ensure all students have the tools they need to succeed and graduate. The support Saddleback offers to the student veterans is unmatched by any other community college."
The four scholarships Alex earned at Saddleback's scholarship banquet in May will help him pay for his tuition at Berkeley, where he will begin taking classes this fall semester. Alex returned the favor by establishing a new Saddleback College scholarship for student veterans entitled the "Robert Sickles Scholarship," named after a young veteran who was killed.
At UC Berkeley, Alex will be majoring in development studies, which focuses on the social, political, economical, and environmental conditions of Third World economies.
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Accrediting Commission of Community and Junior Colleges, of the
Western Association of Schools and Colleges