Jasmin Margarita Guillen served in the Air Force for six years, working in U.S. Strategic Command at Offutt Air Force Base in Sarpy County, Nebraska. Near the end of 2019, Guillen was deployed to Kandahar, Afghanistan, for six months. She ended her military career as a Specialist.
During her last few years in the military, Guillen knew she wanted to get her bachelor’s degree before she was officially out of service.
“In my last few years in Nebraska, I ended up doing the math on what it would take to finish my education,” she said. “I knew that my existing tuition assistance wasn’t going to cover all the fees, so I quickly searched for scholarships online. That’s when I found the ‘Sport Clips Help A Hero Scholarship’ through the VFW.
“If it weren’t for the VFW, I would be way more restrained on how far I could go for my education. And it certainly would have burned more of a hole in my pocket,” Guillen said.
After her enlistment was up, she moved back to her hometown of Santa Rosa, California, to pursue a new career in business.
“I’m so happy to say that I graduated in May of 2023 with a bachelor’s degree in business,” she said. “After I got my degree, the job market has just opened up for me.”
“I really want to thank everyone at the VFW. You made this dream possible,” Guillen said. “Because of that scholarship, I’m now able to use my G.I. Bill to continue my education. I’m currently attending San Francisco State University to get my master’s in business administration!”
Guillen plans to use her degrees to pursue a job in operations management somewhere in California. She encourages every veteran throughout the nation to look into veteran scholarships online.
“Education is something that can never be taken away from you,” she said. “It’s a rewarding experience, even if you never use your degree specifically. Often, as veterans, our experience goes a long way, but continuing my education has given me the drive to strive for excellence both professionally and personally.”
Learn more about the VFW "Sport Clips Help A Hero Scholarship."
