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My Second Mission

Q&A with AmeriCorps VISTA Alumna, Leader, and Afghan War Veteran By Allyson Snell

This Veterans Day we are proud to spotlight Vanessa Moore, AmeriCorps VISTA member and Military Veteran who is using her national service experience to improve the lives of her fellow veterans. Vanessa was most recently the recipient of the 2017 Colorado Governor’s Award for “Outstanding AmeriCorps VISTA Member.

You served as a Medic in the Army National Guard. What brought you to AmeriCorps VISTA?

Many of my family members have served in the military, but it was nothing I had considered for my own career at first. Eight weeks in to medic training, I found out I was to be deployed to Afghanistan with an all-male company. Throughout the pre-mobilization period, I was told many times that I would never succeed in combat as a woman, and that it wasn’t my place. Being told that I couldn’t do something because I am a woman gave me the fire to prove everyone wrong.

I am a medic, I am capable, and I am strong. I worked hard throughout my deployment to show that as a woman, I can do all the same things as the men.

What was your transition like back to civilian life?

I came home and went straight into college in Iowa. Here I was, going from being shot at every day to coming back to my hometown and trying to fit in as a regular 19 year-old. I ended up dropping out of college and moved to southern CO with some friends, where I enrolled in college again, at Adams State University. Even with the change of scenery, my struggles continued and the transition triggered for me all the invisible wounds I carried from service such as depression and anxiety. I felt I had lost my purpose in life.

On top of this, going back to school was a financial struggle as well. Due to the timing of my deployment, it was impossible to get my GI bill reconciled at my university, and I was relying on friends and family for financial support, which was very hard for me. Eventually I managed to secure a job in the registrar’s office, where I later learned that there was a veteran’s center on campus. This infuriated me- I was broke, could barely afford being there and didn’t even know there was a veteran’s center!

How did you learn about AmeriCorps VISTA?

While working with the registrar’s office, I learned about the VISTA SECond Mission program. The project was brand-new and geared at providing access to services for student veterans on campus. When I was accepted to the program I was thrilled to serve, and it gave me a renewed purpose in life. I can’t state enough how important having this purpose was to my well-being, it literally saved my life. I had lost a couple of my friends from deployment due to suicide, and coupled with my own depression and difficulties, I was aware that I had to do something to keep going. The accomplishments I made during service helped me to heal, and I saw that I could help others like me in the process.

What was your biggest accomplishment as a VISTA member?

Given my own challenges in obtaining my GI bill and how this delay put me into a very tough situation, I was determined to ensure that no other veterans entering school would face the same challenges. I learned that the state of Colorado had passed a bill in 2009 ensuring that all veterans receive in-state tuition, regardless of their home of record. I was able to work with the school to implement this opportunity for veterans, which significantly helps reservists like myself, who have complicated GI bill calculations.

Finally people were seeing the problems that veterans on campus faced, and I was a part of the solution. I loved doing what I was doing. So many of our veterans support efforts gained momentum after this. We completely reimagined services to vets on campus and did significant outreach to ensure all incoming veterans knew what resources were readily available.

So what is next for you?

I graduated last year with my degree in English and Secondary Education, and now I am serving as an AmeriCorps VISTA leader with my organization because I love this program. I know so many combat vets like me deal with addiction, depression, and reintegration struggles. It is so encouraging to see colleges that provide these great resources directly to vets such as helping with the GI bill, mentorship programs, and internships. Our military veterans are so much more likely to get into school and stay in school if they are supported. Eventually I want to be a teacher at the secondary level and also teach yoga to veterans as a path to healing.

Any advice for other veterans?

AmeriCorps VISTA is such a good way to give back and gain professional development. I have grown as a young professional and found the sense of purpose I lost after returning home from Afghanistan. I have put my passion for student veteran success into action, and created actual reform in an area that serves many veterans.

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