CAMERON THOMPSON
AA-T in Communication Studies
Transferring to: CSUN
Major: Communications

Many years ago, I served my country and volunteered for service in Afghanistan. That seemed like a piece of cake to me, because I was very confident in myself and my team of fellow soldiers. I never once imagined myself as a colleg  e student at the time. For my entire life, I never thought I was smart enough for college. I listened to the people who told me I couldn't do it. I instead chose the military right after high school. After losing one of my best friends in Afghanistan and coming close to losing my own life various times, I broke into a very deep, alcohol-induced depression working as a nightclub bouncer for a living. It was the mother of my friend who was killed in action that helped me on my feet. She wrote on his headstone, "the meaning of life is to put meaning into it." When I snapped out of my spiral, I decided to go for it and accept the challenge of getting a college degree. I worked as a bouncer at night time and worked in my workbooks during the daytime on campus. Unfortunately, I also lost my mother and grandfather during my journey as a GCC student. But I still accomplished my mission to honor them. Though they will not see me graduate and transfer, I know I made my family proud. Life is just as much of a test as our issued homework assignments. Quitting is not an option. One must always prevail. My next mission is to study to be a veteran counselor. I want to contribute to help the next generation of struggling warriors, just as the GCC staff has helped me. It is an honor to be a VAQ.

Near the beginning of summer in 2016, I just got out of one of my classes. I just completed an oral report about the importance of erasing a life regret if it is still possible. If it is not possible, then we can let go of the regret and move on. Well, I had a regret. As a freshman in high school at the age of 14, I wanted to be part of a team. I wanted to play football, but I never had the chance. I was a young and committed cadet, and I wanted to put all of my focus on training to be a soldier someday. A life long dream and a family tradition. So I never had a chance to play football due to time conflicts with the other program I was in. I achieved 1 out of 2 of those goals. Fast forward almost a decade, I was a 27-year-old former soldier and seasoned veteran of a foreign war turned college student (I had a late start at GCC). I impulsively decided to erase my regret of not having a chance to play football. I walked into Coach Rome's office. We never met each other up until that moment. He later became like a father figure in my life. I tried out for the team and did my best to keep up with everyone who was a lot younger than me and years of experience playing football. I learned all of the ropes from scratch and eventually earned my place on the team as a nose tackle. I also made new friends that I will never forget, and even got to be coached by former NFL player, coach Lester Townes. I guess my most memorable moment was at the very beginning. When I decided to erase an old regret.

"The meaning of life is to put meaning into it."

When I first stepped on campus to register, I almost got discouraged and wanted to turn back. Primarily because I didn't think I was college material. But then a GCC staff member gave me a tour of the campus and words of encouragement. I felt right at home then and there. I won't ever forget that. And to all of the staff at the Veterans Resource Center... I owe you a life debt of gratitude. You served your country well, and you continue to serve your fellow veterans.