Staff members of Bellevue College gathered in the Student Services lobby on Thursday Oct. 24 for a Meet & Greet with Wesley Jones, the new program manager for Project Succeed. Jones, an 11-year Air Force veteran, most recently worked as a Career & Employment Specialist at Bellevue College’s Fast Track to IT program.
Project Succeed is a unique program at BC dedicated to help veterans and their spouses acquire the necessary skills and resources they need to transition back into civilian life. Out of hundreds of applicants, BC was the only college to be awarded a two-year grant when the program was launched in 2010 as part of Microsoft’s Elevate America: Veterans Initiative. After the initial two-year grant period, BC has remained committed to supporting a permanent, full-time Project Succeed Career Advancement position to help sustain the critically important services that have been developed.
Director of the Center for Career Connections Cheryl Vermilyea said, “The Meet & Greet reception today was a celebration of the college’s commitment to this increased level of support and an acknowledgement that the work will require close partnerships and collaborations across the entire campus.” This gathering allowed the Student Services employees to recognize the accompishments of the past two years and to prepare for the future.
Vermilyea explained that Jones “has the chance to collaborate with groups and organizations across campus to build a program that now has committed funding and can offer on-going career advancement services responsive to the needs of veterans and spouses at the college.” This particular event was an opportunity to meet with the heads of the various programs Jones will work with.
Jones’ work goes beyond simply adjusting veterans to college. Once veterans get a handle on classes, Jones will focus on “preparing students to make a transition from becoming a student to becoming an employee.”