Fall 2024 Supporting Our Heroes Scholarship Winner

Armando Vega

Armando is a proud veteran who served eight years of active duty in the United States Army. As a veteran, Armando has firsthand experience of war and various obstacles returning home. Now, as a college student, Armando is pursuing a degree in psychology, inspired by his journey of learning more and investing in his and others' mental health. Please join us in congratulating Armando as the recipient of our Fall 2024 Supporting Our Heroes Scholarship.

Read Armando's Essay:

Thank you for considering and overviewing me for the Scholarship For Students Advocating On Behalf Of Veterans. I am interested in the scholarship and writing a description of my skills, knowledge, and experience for my candidacy. As a candidate, I offer more than one year of sobriety, recovery, experiences, and the ability to motivate others on their self-path of the road to recovery. I served 8 years active duty Army in 2004-2012 and two combat tours in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

As a Veteran Peer Support at Hines VA, I have provided skills, Knowledge, and great professional assistance for veterans in the Mental Health, Substance Abuse, and Homeless Veterans Programs. As a veteran and Peer Support I have built connections and communication in the veteran community, organizations and supporters bring great value in assisting the Peer Teams, Mental Health Clinic with their veteran patients.

As an experienced Peer Support, Organizer/Outreach, Scholarship For Students Advocating On Behalf Of Veterans sparked my interest. When reviewing the qualification, I was excited to find that my qualifications and personal strengths align with your needs and mission. I bring a comprehensive set of skills that I believe will be valuable to the veteran community. In my position Peer Support in Mental Health and Veterans in Recovery Organizer/ Veteran Outreach with Chicago Veterans Organization I honor my abilities in rapport, care planning and motivational interviewing, providing a firm foundation reducing the stigma in the veteran community. My collaboration, people-centric nature, and compassion have afforded me excellent critical thinking skills. This includes planning and leading educational, supportive, recreational, and social activities with all of the services for veterans while maintaining professional relationships with them.

Returning to civilian life was not easy for me and struggled with PTSD and alcohol abuse till I finally found recovery. Maintaining my recovery also with Alcoholics Anonymous has guided me to help other veterans and civilians to gain hope and faith that recovery is possible. I continue to chair AA meetings at my home group and chair AA meetings for veterans struggling or continuing on the road in recovery. I am excited to contribute my talents and proficiency in motivation to your team efforts. As an engaging communicator with a proven track record in environment facilitation, my focus on building strong professional relationships has been a beneficial asset throughout my career. My goal is to achieve my master’s in clinical Mental Health Counseling LPC so I can continue to help my veteran brothers and sisters. With my degree I can do so much more with helping veterans in mental health and substance abuse.

Please review my enclosed resume for a more in-depth illustration of my work history and accomplishments. I would appreciate the opportunity to be selected Scholarship For Students Advocating On Behalf Of Veterans’ and eager to discuss how my personality and background fit the qualifications. I look forward to discussing my credentials and how my expertise can help.

Thank you for your time and consideration of my candidacy.