The Veterans Student Organization provided food and donations for approximately 60 homeless New Yorkers in Manhattan on Oct. 24 during their Midnight Run. Midnight Run is a nonprofit organization that coordinates late-night relief through the distribution of clothing and other resources for the homeless. In collaboration with the Office of Judicial Affairs and Service Learning, the Queens College Veterans Club coordinated their first Midnight Run. Andrea Toral, a junior accounting major and an Army veteran, was in charge of organizing the event. Toral took care of getting the word out, going out to get donations from different churches and created the flyer for the run. She expressed her excitement about the event because she…
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Veteran seeks to ease transition for fellow vets
Dennis Torres served with the Marine Corps Reserves in Fallujah, Iraq, during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Today, he is the Veteran Outreach Specialist at Queens College. Born in Jamaica, NY in 1985, Torres is the youngest of three siblings. His parents were from Ecuador and his father was part of U.S. special forces near the end of the Vietnam War to gain citizenship. “I grew up hearing stories of camaraderie. [My father] went to Cambodia for a little bit, and, hearing his stories, [it] made me want to experience it,” Torres said. Inspired by his father’s tales, Torres enlisted in the Marine Corps Reserves after graduating from St. Mary’s High School…
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QC provides support for veterans and their families
For veterans and their families at Queens College, the staff at Veteran Student Services wants them to know “we’ve got your six.” “Got your six,” a phrase in the military, means “got your back.” It originated during World War I, when fighter pilots would refer to the rear of an airplane. The plane was like a clock and the rear was six o’clock. Earlier this semester, the Veteran Student Services unveiled their new space at Student Union 320. The room previously held the Office of Student Life. Dennis Torres, veteran outreach specialist at QC and a Marine Corps veteran, said the new office space is symbolic of the commitment between…
