The Virginia Employment Commission, Tidewater Community College and Virginia Wounded Warrior Program Region 5 have joined forces to bring a great opportunity to network with local military related organizations who are waiting to serve you!

When: February 28, 2012

Where: TCC Virginia Beach Campus Advanced Technology Center, Room #H265 

Time: 9am-4pm

Wilberto Arce was born in Ponce, Puerto Rico and moved to Brooklyn, New York at thirteen to complete high school. After high school he immediately joined the Navy as an Operations (Command and Control Center) Specialist. After serving 26 years, he retired as a Senior Chief Petty Officer with an Associate Degree in General Studies from City University of Seattle. He then began working with the U.S. Department of Commerce, Census Bureau, while pursuing his Bachelor of Science degree in Workforce Education and Development from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, which he completed in June 2011.

How did you come to TCC and why did you want to work here?

I heard about this position through a friend who retired the year before I did, from the NATO Headquarters in Norfolk, and decided to work for the Community College because I enjoy teaching and training personnel and sharing my knowledge and experiences with others, especially the new generation.

What role do you see ROTC playing in higher education? What are the benefits?

There are numerous ROTC benefits. Students can get ahead of the game by proving themselves and tapping into their inner strengths by following the guidance provided in the ROTC programs. They can take charge of their future and start planning for a career, learn discipline and how to lead others, accomplish more, make a bigger impact, and start realizing their dreams. Serve your country, have fun, wear the uniform with pride and enjoy your education without having to worry about paying loans when you graduate. "Efforts and courage are not enough without purpose and direction." - John F. Kennedy

What is your favorite thing about working at TCC so far?

My favorite part of working at TCC is meeting other veterans who are focused on helping military members, spouses and family members with their education plans and dealing with military students and their family members who are looking for guidance; people who understand the system and can explain it to them in simple terms, and someone with experience who can provide them with the right answers in a timely manner.

What is your specialty and what should people contact you for?

My specialty is in the ROTC programs. I brief personnel in Army, Navy and Marine Corps ROTC programs requirements including GPA requirements, age limits, age credit for prior service, non-scholarship and scholarship options, contract/commitment requirements, and leadership training/orientation offered during the summer. I can also help them with the enrollment process and once they are enrolled, I provide students with class schedules. I also counsel students to help them understand what each branch offers and their required commitments. I also take this opportunity to share some "sea-stories" or experiences with them and make them think about what exactly they want to concentrate on for their majors and how that correlates to military specialties. In the near future, I will also be providing personnel with Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges (SOC) information and I am in the process of establishing a connection between the local high schools JROTC programs to provide future high school graduates, and their parents, with information for a seamless transition from high school JROTC to college ROTC programs.

The highly interactive website: http://www.MilitaryKidsConnect.org, was
created by psychologists at DOD's National Center for Telehealth and
Technology. It helps children of deployed parents cope with the stress, changing responsibilities and concern for the safety of their parents, officials say.

While the website targets children of deployed service members, it also offers free resources for parents and educators as well. 

If you or someone you know has a child dealing with a deployed parent, please visit this website today. 

The website is fun and interactive