Decorated veteran heads dedicated MHCC Veteran Services Team

In recognition of Veterans Day on Nov. 11, the Advocate is featuring some veterans and services provided to them at Mt. Hood Community College.

Appropriately, the Veteran Services office on the Main Mall of the Gresham campus is headed by coordinator Joshua Ray, who is a decorated U.S. Army vet with a combat tour in Iraq. He is no stranger to danger.

To give you a little more background on Ray, we must travel back in time to 2003 when America declared war on the Iraq regime of the dictator Saddam Hussein. This came after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the Twin Towers in New York City. In suspecting Hussein of holding weapons of mass destruction, President George W. Bush ordered the invasion and occupation of Iraq by U.S. armed forces, which led to the eventual capture of Saddam.

Ray spent the final year of his five years in the Army stationed in Iraq. Previously he spent most of his career with the 101st Air Assault Division out of Fort Campbell, Kentucky (home of the Screaming Eagles). He was also an Airborne paratrooper and spent his combat deployment in 2003 with the 4th infantry Division out of Fort Hood, Texas.

Currently Ray leads the four-person team that does everything within their ability to take care of veterans at Mt. Hood – mostly to keep them in school but also offer services to help enrolled veterans with other aspects of their lives.

“We create a holistic approach to helping vets in their education,” Ray said when asked what MHCC does for returning combat vets. “We go the extra mile in assisting our vet students with their goals and help them become successful at it,” something he said other colleges may not follow through on.

For those veterans attending MHCC who carry severe issues such as PTSD, Ray said Mt. Hood follows the federal American Disabilities Act that requires the college do everything it can to accommodate these students “but even if it wasn’t the law, we’d do what we can for them.

“We try to get them services through our Office of Accessible Education. Whether the student needs sign language, or a profile to take walks for our students diagnosed with PTSD… anything, we are here to help and assist,” Ray said.

When asked why he works so hard to help vets, Ray replied, “I serve those that have served us” – meaning veterans who served and sacrificed for our freedoms, and to keep us safe.

Next in Mt. Hood’s Veterans team is Heather Mitchoff, whose job entails processing the veteran student into the school’s system and coming up with a specialized education plan.

The student success specialist for veterans has been with MHCC for three years and she assists and advises the veteran student on what are the different majors and programs offered at the college. She also processes all the paperwork to comply with the military’s GI Bill and other rules for veteran education benefits.

Amy Sievert has been with MHCC for 12 years in different departments but now takes joy in working for Veterans Services. Coming from a long list of family members who served in the military during her lifetime, she said she feels a certain duty to those who honorably served our county.

“I’m a huge student advocate, advocating for all students, but I specialize with veterans,” Sievert said. “If there’s any problem with the student, I’ll do what I can to solve the student’s issue and if I can’t I’ll get back to the student promptly with a solution.”

The most important part of veteran students and their education is the funding part. Sievert makes sure the veteran’s education expenses are paid on time and that their living and housing money gets processed on time. She also informs them about all the grant money that’s available to them. If there are any financial questions like grants, scholarships, and student loans, she’s the person to ask.

Sievert also offers classes to all Mt. Hood students to let them know about upcoming grant money, FAFSA applications, loan reductions or forgiveness, and so on.

She encouraged anyone in contact with a veteran to send them to the Mt. Hood team.

“If our veterans are feeling lost or confused, please reach out. Help and support are here,” she said.

Newest to the MHCC office is Derek Hanley, outreach and success specialist who will work on recruiting more veterans to the campus. The decorated combat paramedic spent four years of active duty with the U.S. Air Force, then five more in the Army National Guard assigned to the 42nd Infantry Division in upstate New York.

Hanley added thoughts appropriate for all as Veterans Day arrives:

“I would like to thank all veterans for their service and sacrifice… and thank all the dependents and family members, for supporting our veterans.”