{"id":2229,"date":"2018-03-27T15:16:05","date_gmt":"2018-03-27T22:16:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.palomar.edu\/news\/?p=2229"},"modified":"2018-03-27T15:33:07","modified_gmt":"2018-03-27T22:33:07","slug":"veteran-nicholas-williams","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.palomar.edu\/news\/veteran-nicholas-williams\/","title":{"rendered":"Army veteran recalls inspiring journey at Palomar"},"content":{"rendered":"

Nicholas Williams arrived in 2014 planning to get in and get out; this May, he\u2019ll graduate with a 3.8 GPA on his way to San Diego State University.<\/p>\n

SAN MARCOS \u2014 When Nicholas Williams walks across the stage at graduation this May, he will receive his third, fourth and fifth degrees from Palomar College\u2014an especially gratifying milestone for a veteran who began his college career as an academic novice.<\/p>\n

Williams, now 39, arrived at Palomar in 2014, and he hadn\u2019t been in school since 1996. He\u2019d spent four years in the Army, and then held various jobs before turning to higher education.<\/p>\n

\u201cI drove up to Palomar because they have a real estate program,\u201d he recalled. \u201cThe first year, my goal was to do two semesters and go back to work. Then I fell in love with Palomar.\u201d<\/p>\n

The only obstacle was a lack of confidence in his ability to make it through college.<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t think I could do the history or the sciences or the English,\u201d he said. \u201cAll of that general ed stuff\u2014I didn\u2019t think I could do it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Math proved especially challenging for Williams: \u201cI started from the bottom and didn\u2019t do well, but kept trying and trying, and thanks to the Veterans Resource Center and their math tutors, I had the confidence to stick with it,\u201d he said, recalling how he had to retake both Math 50 and Math 56. Now he is taking Calculus.<\/p>\n

As a volunteer at the Veterans Resource Center<\/a>, Williams helps certify students for their Veterans Affairs (VA) benefits and counsels new students through the process of activating their benefits, enrolling in classes, picking a major and working toward their goals.<\/p>\n

He recalled learning about the Center for the first time as a new student: \u201cIt was a safe area, an area where I could do homework and study.\u201d<\/p>\n

He attributes much of his success at Palomar to the support that he received at the Veterans Resource Center.<\/p>\n

Jessica Horn, the Veterans Services Supervisor at Palomar, said she\u2019s seen similar stories play out time after time. A veteran arrives unsure of how to navigate a college campus, or perhaps lacking self-confidence, and then finds that they have what it takes to be successful.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you leave the military, there\u2019s this huge loss of identity,\u201d said Horn, who is a Marine Corps veteran who served at Camp Pendleton before coming to Palomar. \u201cWhen you wear that uniform, people know who you are. But when you get out, you take the uniform off, and people can see you, but they can\u2019t see the \u2018you\u2019 that you were in the military.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut when you walk into this center, it\u2019s like getting part of that identity back, because you\u2019re surrounded by men and women who are going through the same thing,\u201d she added. \u201cIt\u2019s like a big family. Having this space on campus helps foster the environment and connections that a lot of people lose when they leave the military.\u201d<\/p>\n

Williams plans to transfer to San Diego State University (SDSU) this fall to study Business Finance, and he\u2019ll take with him a 3.8 grade-point average from Palomar College. Last year, he earned degrees in Real Estate and General Studies, and this year he\u2019s due for three more\u2014in University Studies, Business and Advertising, Merchandising and Marketing.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to be the CFO of a racing team,\u201d he said. \u201cLike a NASCAR team\u2014but you have to work your way up to NASCAR.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the meantime, Williams is passing the torch to his 19-year-old son, Christopher Williams, who will be starting at Palomar in the fall on the Palomar Promise<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Nicholas Williams arrived in 2014 planning to get in and get out; this May, he\u2019ll graduate with a 3.8 GPA on his way to San Diego State University. SAN MARCOS \u2014 When Nicholas Williams walks across the stage at graduation this May, he will receive his third, fourth and fifth degrees from Palomar College\u2014an especially… \u00a0Continue Reading: Army veteran recalls inspiring journey at Palomar<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10413,"featured_media":2231,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[19,9,23,18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2229","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-carousel","category-features","category-home","category-slider"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nArmy veteran recalls inspiring journey at Palomar - Palomar News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Nicholas Williams arrived in 2014 planning to get in and get out; this May, he\u2019ll graduate with a 3.8 GPA on his way to San Diego State University.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.palomar.edu\/news\/veteran-nicholas-williams\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Army veteran recalls inspiring journey at Palomar - Palomar News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Nicholas Williams arrived in 2014 planning to get in and get out; 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