For Hispanic Heritage Month, a reminder that VA is for everyone

Reflecting on Hispanic Heritage Month, I have begun to look back at the advances made by my community over the last several decades, as well as my own experiences. I am a second-generation Salvadoran American immigrant, a post-9/11 Veteran, a first-generation college graduate, and now an advisor to VA’s Veterans Experience Office.

As a proud member of the Hispanic community, I am reminded of the challenges faced, sacrifices made and struggles overcome by Hispanic people who have come before me. I have come to realize that we still face a diverse set of challenges.

For me, it was transition out of the military.

Life after discharge

After serving eight years in the Marine Corps and receiving an honorable discharge during the height of the housing crisis in 2008, I found myself without many non-military skills, and I was unable to attain adequate employment. I applied for different jobs across different fields, but had no luck.

I was recently returned from Iraq, newly married and expecting the birth of my son. I had no job prospects, no direction, and I found myself not being able to provide for my growing family. Not considering the economic environment, I saw this as my own personal failure, like I was failing the people who meant the world to me. I doubted my ability, felt completely vulnerable, and did not know what way to go.

Out of desperation, I turned to my local VA health care system in Long Beach, California. It was there that I met Brian, a Navy Veteran and registered nurse who, at the time, served as a case manager at the OIF/OEF Transition Center.

He changed my life forever.

Despite my anger and frustration on the circumstances, my case manager took the time to listen to me and my needs, and he provided me with the necessary guidance I needed in that moment (include information on how to access my VA benefits). He gave me the new perspective I needed to get through the recession with a way forward.

The way forward 

After my discussion with Brian (who, over time, became a friend), I sought my way forward: attend community college, transfer to a four-year university, and get my degree while using VA educational benefits.

It was Brian who explained to me how my benefits worked and how I would be able to take care of my family while focusing on my studies.

At first, I was dismissive and didn’t think I could attain a college degree. No one in my family had ever earned a college degree and I had barely graduated from high school. So, despite learning the value of accountability and responsibility in the Marine Corps, I still felt that this was unattainable goal.

But Brian was right. After years of hard work, I proved that I was able to attend some of the finest academic institutions in the world and attain advanced Ivy League degrees.

It was this decision to take advantage of VA education benefits that opened the door for to economic opportunity—not just for me, but for my children, who now see the world of possibilities available to them.

Attaining an Ivy League education is certainly not a requirement to reach success, but VA provides multiple options to Hispanic Veterans such as myself to reach their goals. Whether it is an apprenticeship in the trades or a college education, VA can help one attain the tools they need to reach their desired goal.

Got the degree, now what?

Attending college set me on the path to attaining what I was searching for since leaving the Marine Corps: a good job and a chance to give my family a good life. Like many family men, I wanted to make sure that my children would have more than I did. I was able to make that happen by working for VA while also helping to improve lives of other Veterans.

Like Brian, I’ve used my journey to give back by introducing my fellow Veterans to the many programs and services that VA offers, like work study, internships and fellowship opportunities.

This is how I show my belief that VA is for Hispanic Veterans like me—and also for all Veterans.

When it’s all said and done

Despite only having set simple goals for myself in the beginning—putting food on the table, clothes on the backs of my children, and a roof over their heads—I was able to look beyond my doubts to see what could be possible.

Thinking about my personal and professional accomplishments, I cannot help but remember the people who have been in my corner—many of whom have been at VA. Because of this, I can say that I am standing on the shoulders of giants.

I am a direct product of my Salvadoran heritage, the Marines I stood alongside of during the best and worst of times, the professors and counselors who guided me throughout my academic journey, and the VA staff from different backgrounds and professional disciplines that helped me achieve what I previously thought was unachievable.

Through my journey, I have been able to do so much more than I could have imagined. VA did not simply give me the right people, benefits and services that put me on my path to success, but it also gave me hope to achieve beyond what I thought was possible—my own American Dream.

Chris Villatoro currently serves in an appointed position as an advisor to the director of VA’s Veterans Experience Office. He served in various VA capacities since 2014, with service at the Long Beach VA Medical Center as a Presidential Management Fellow, VA Northern California Health Care System, and Loma Linda VA Medical Center. He graduated from University of California at Berkeley in 2012 and completed graduated studies at Columbia University in 2014 and Cornell University in 2019.