From Nathaniel Easton, Veteran Services Coordinator, Chemeketa Community College: “Benito goes above and beyond his Peer Advisor duties, inviting students from his caseload to tutoring sessions in the library. He actively engages with students, often remembering their names, academic focus, and family relations. When Benito first started with the program he was dealing with precarious living situation and attending school, all while still giving his veterans the full attention they needed to be successful.

Not only is he engaged on campus, but he actively recruits veterans he meets in the community. Benito has helped veterans from his church obtain disability ratings and then helped them enroll at Chemeketa to take advantage of their GI bill benefits. Benito Flores is not only an outstanding Peer Advisor but a valuable member of our local and veteran communities.”

From Benito Flores: “My favorite part about being a Team Leader is being placed into a position to assist veterans as they transition from military life to academia. The most rewarding moments are when veterans leave the office excited about seeking higher education and discovering information about their benefits they never thought imaginable. I am proud of how my team has consistently accepted and accomplished new challenges, supporting our student veterans, and working together to achieve our goals, whether it’s our effort to encourage veterans to seek higher education or fostering an inclusive environment to make all veterans feel safe and welcomed.”