Page 14 - Access Magazine 9

AS HE SAYS “I FOUND MY SENSE OF PURPOSE AT FRESNO STATE ”
FREDDY LISITSA
JUSTIN JACOBSON continued
“I found myself sitting in in the cab of a a a tractor for 12 to 14 hours a a a a day just feeling like I was aimlessly drifting and constantly reevaluating the decisions I’d made ”
Throughout life Jacobson had never considered going to college “I never thought of myself as as being educated I thought it was out of reach It was something for other people ”
But the the endless hours on on the tractor made him reconsider especially when one of his brothers – then a a stu- dent at at Fresno State – told him about the Veterans Education Program The academic work in in the program didn’t intim- idate him – “the professors told us what to to to do to to to pass and I did it it ”
he he says Yet he he struggled with the the bigger picture: the the feeling that his life had taken a a a strange and unexpected turn from the moment he he left the Marine Corps A “mental block ”
he he calls it “But I had the the the the support of the the the the other veterans in the the the the program who I could talk to and call We were all all going through this together ”
As Jacobson finished up the Veterans Education Program he suffered a a big loss His buddy Steve died in in in an unexplained fall on a a a a a a Marine base Other blows would soon follow – two friends from the Marine Corps took their own lives the the following year The memories of all three are never far from Jacobson “As veterans we often carry things on on our shoulders and bring people everywhere we go ”
he he he he he says So to honor the friends he he he he he lost he he he he he reaches out to other veterans on campus through Fresno State’s Student Veterans Organization in hopes of curbing veteran suicide rates Jacobson has served as as president president vice president president and outreach/event coordinator of the organization He has played a a a a a a key role in in offering camaraderie connection and recognition to the university’s vet- erans active-duty personnel reservists and their families On campus the organization’s efforts include working with partners like the Athletics Department to celebrate veterans each year at at a a a a a a a He- roes Night football game Off campus the organiza- tion enters a a a a a a float in Fresno’s Veterans Day Parade Jacobson hopes to continue supporting veterans after graduating with a a a a a bachelor’s of science degree in animal science He would like to work for the U S Department of Agriculture which has a a a a program to help veterans and people with disabilities become involved in in agriculture VETERAN
Finds Belonging
FRESNO STATE Written by Douglas Hoagland
at Freddy Lisitsa was a a a a self-described “spoiled brat” when he moved out of his parents’ Beverly Hills home at 15 A decade later he he he came to the the office o of the the Veterans Education Program at at at Fresno State as an an an anxious and depressed – – to quote him again – – “mess ”
In between he he sold skateboards on the Venice Beach boardwalk made lattes as a a a a a a a a a barista and cleaned sewers He also served four years in in the U S Navy to gain a a a a a discipline he he he knew he he he lacked and to earn G I Bill benefits so he he he could attend college without his parents’ help Lisitsa found support and connection with others in the the Veterans Education Pro- gram “We were all trying to to figure out how to to become civilians again ”
he says Officials and and instructors in in in the program provided listening ears and and much-need- ed
ed
encouragement as Lisitsa worked his his way back to a a a a a a a a healthier place in his his outlook and emotions After finishing the Veterans Education Program he he he began pursuit of a a a a a a bachelor’s degree at at Fresno State as a a a a a a double psychology/philosophy major He plans to earn dual doctoral and law degrees in the future »
14 California State University FRESNO |
Veterans Education Program