Success Stories
Veteran Rande White sees education as the key to change
EUGENE, OR - Rande White of Springfield is deep in transition. With a youth spent in the Army that sent him around the world twice, followed by years in the workforce, at age 52 he has begun to search for a future where he can give back to the community. He's getting started at Lane Community College.
He is one of nearly 700 student veterans that Lane assists. For each, transition is a challenge that education can address, says White.
He is enrolled in Lane's Sustainability Coordinator program. He plans to earn an associate degree and then go on for a master's in historic preservation, or perhaps restorative justice. He's finding his way. That's what transition is, and why Lane is a good place to start.
He knew he wanted to do something positive, but how to shape that into a tangible future? Lane offered a supportive community, a variety of opportunities, and a dedicated faculty and staff ready to help him figure it out.
One opportunity was the Native American longhouse. Under construction since 2006, it will officially open later this fall. White is exploring his own Native American roots. When he heard about the longhouse, he wanted to get involved.
Then he found out about cooperative education. This program awards academic credit for learning on the job. Coordinator Tamara Pinkas helped White obtain an internship with the longhouse. Now he is learning to split cedar planks from craftsman Don Day, an elder of the Grand Ronde tribe. The longhouse is connecting White to community, place, past, and future.
Another opportunity was Susie Cousar's Global Health and Sustainability class. The class explores the connection between the three pillars of sustainability - economic, social and ecological - and how they impact human health. For White, the class has been transformational. He recommends it to any student veteran. "It helps with deconstruction," he says. "It builds awareness." He is concerned for younger vets who still feel bulletproof and take high risks. Education can help them understand the world, he says.
Lane offers other resources for student veterans, such as LIVE, Lane's Integration of Veterans in Education, a new program funded by a grant from the American Council on Education and the Wal-Mart Foundation. LIVE provides student veterans with advising, tutoring, mentoring, instruction and early intervention services. It is coordinated by Michael Samano, himself a veteran and a Lane graduate.
White says education gives you something to look forward to. "It's not just about getting a degree. It's about changing your life for the better."
Lane is an equal opportunity/affirmative action institution.
Published by Lane Marketing and Public Relations, November 2010.
