Finding friendship and a sense of belonging in CFCC’s Veterans Center

Cape Fear Community College is proud to be a veteran-friendly campus with dedicated services, a welcoming Veterans Center, and a team led by Director of Veterans Services Jason Bocchino, a U.S. Navy Veteran who served over 24 years of active-duty service.

Bocchino is proud to help CFCC’s veteran and active-duty students and their families navigate college life and find a sense of community.

For three CFCC students, that community took shape inside the Veterans Center. Each comes from a different background, but all three found the same thing when they walked through its doors, friendship and a sense of belonging.

Eman Mohammed

Eman Mohammed currently serves in the North Carolina Army National Guard. She brings both overseas deployment and State Active Duty experience to campus. She is also honored to serve as president of CFCC’s Student Veterans Organization.

Mohammed moved to Wilmington from Asheville to pursue an Associate in Arts degree and eventually plans to earn a bachelor’s and master’s degree in social work. During her first semester, an English assignment unexpectedly opened the door to the Veterans Center.

“We wrote a personal narrative, and mine was about immigrating to the United States,” she said. “My professor suggested I submit it to CFCC’s Student Veteran Publication StoryForce, and that’s how I found out about all the opportunities here. I went to the Center, and that’s where I met my first friends at CFCC. Honestly, those are still the people I’m closest to.”

For Mohammed, the transition to a new city would have been much harder without that connection.

“It’s truly been my biggest support system here. I didn’t know anyone when I moved. Every person I’ve met through the Center has been there for me and for each other in some way. It’s like a community. It’s like a family.”

Heidi Samaniego-Mariscal

After serving in the Air Force, Heidi Samaniego-Mariscal knew she wanted a fresh start close to the coast. She had been living in Goldsboro, where she was stationed, and her research kept pointing her toward CFCC. She still remembers the feeling of walking into the Veterans Center for the first time.

“My first day here, it felt like I had a new family. I was comfortable right away. It’s a place where you can relax and be yourself.”

Samaniego-Mariscal is working on prerequisites for the Radiography program.

Joseph Grasso

Army veteran Joseph Grasso served as a Combat Engineer and Paratrooper before moving from Rochester, NY, to Wilmington. He knew he wanted to pursue a path in health sciences, which led him to CFCC.

“When I first got to Cape Fear, I didn’t know many people,” Grasso said. “The Veterans Center changed that. Everyone was welcoming. I could come in, meet other veterans, and make connections right away.”

Grasso was accepted to CFCC’s Associate Degree in Nursing program and is excited to start this January.

Learn more about CFCC Veterans Services and the Student Veterans Center.