A voice for veterans

Larry Gonzales helping struggling students succeed at CSUB

By California State University, Bakersfield

November 9^th, 2022

After Wasco native Larry Gonzales finished serving six years in the U.S. Army in 2007, he initially struggled adapting to civilian life.

Post-traumatic stress stemming from his service in the Army caused him to use drugs to cope, which eventually led Gonzales to commit robberies and other crimes. He ended up serving a total of around 18 months at various prisons.

After doing his time, Gonzales realized he needed to change his life. Upon finding a flyer for California State University, Bakersfield’s Project Rebound program, Gonzales knew this was a chance to create a better future.

He enrolled at CSUB in 2019 and received assistance through the program, which helps formerly incarcerated individuals get into the university and provides resources and support services to help them graduate.

Now, Gonzales is a year away from graduating with a bachelor’s degree in sociology with a minor in communications.

“I feel like I owe everything I’m going to do in my life in the future to this program,” he said. “It’s an incredible program that gives people second chances.”

Gonzales is paying it forward by working for Project Rebound as a peer navigator, helping other formerly incarcerated people, including veterans like himself, get the support they need to be successful at CSUB.

“I’ve been on the streets, I’ve been locked up, so I feel like I can help people because I know what they’ve been through,” he said. “I feel like I’m in a good position to not only have my life completely changed around, but to help others do the same.”

Besides being a peer navigator for Project Rebound, Gonzales is also the president of two student clubs on campus: the Veterans Club and Club RISE, which is targeted to formerly incarcerated students and their supporters.

“I love being a part of these clubs,” he said. “There’s a sense of camaraderie when you’re around other veterans. It helps put you at ease and just be yourself.”

As if juggling those duties with his course work wasn’t enough, Gonzales is currently representing veterans on campus as the director of veterans’ affairs for Associated Students, Inc. (ASI).

After learning that no one was in the position this semester, Gonzales decided in October to volunteer for it so that student veterans and their families would have a voice in the organization. CSUB has around 200 veteran students, he said.

“If there’s no representation for them, who’s speaking for their issues? Who’s helping them out?” he said. “I felt that void needed to be filled. They needed someone to speak for them.”

While Gonzales has spent his first few weeks learning the ropes of being in ASI, he has big ideas for the future. He said he would like to help facilitate the development of a monument or memorial to veterans on campus.

“I’m really hoping to leave a mark,” he said of being in ASI.

Jamie Pacheco is the coordinator of CSUB’s Veterans Success Center, which houses Project Rebound and serves as a hub where student veterans and their dependents can receive on-campus resources and support services.

Pacheco credited Gonzales for his efforts to support veteran students.

“I am so proud of Larry. [He] is the definition of what a veteran student leader is on and off campus. He has overcome many challenges and obstacles in his life. I am so impressed by the positiveness he brings inside the Veteran Success Center. He is an inspiration for many veterans on campus and in our community."

'A bright star'

Gonzales was 17 years old when the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks rocked the nation. Like many young people at that time, Gonzales believed it was his patriotic duty to fight for his country.

Gonzales enlisted in the Army in 2002 and went on to serve two tours in Afghanistan and one in Iraq. He was a signal support systems specialist attached to the 82nd Airborne Division and the 75th Ranger Regiment.

“It was life-changing,” he said. “It set me on a path that has led to where I am now.”

After finishing his service, Gonzales was faced with a lot of uncertainty about what to do next.

“When you get out, you’re on your own. That can be rough,” he said. “You already feel like you have the world on your shoulders at a young age.”

Despite struggling with PTSD and drug use, Gonzales was able to maintain work in the oil fields of Kern County and even started a family. However, he felt during this period of his life that something was missing.

“I was always around people who don’t know what I’ve been through and can’t relate,” he said. “I needed someplace where I could have a release, to be with other people who have had similar experiences. I didn’t have that until I came to CSUB.”

After deciding to pursue an education at the university — both for himself and to support his seven children — Gonzales said he received a lot of support from Project Rebound and that he constantly had people, including fellow students, contacting him to make sure he had everything he needed.

“Project Rebound really pushed me to succeed,” he said. “The peer support here is second to none.”

Now, Gonzales is relishing the opportunity to help formerly incarcerated students such as himself. One such student was Chris Hernandez, who met Gonzales for the first time this semester.

“He’s helped me with schoolwork, he showed me around the campus,” Hernandez said. “I don’t think I would have been able to be as confident as I am now if I didn’t have a mentor like Larry. He’s really helped me understand the university.”

Hernandez got to know Gonzales personally and the two have developed a close relationship despite their short time together.

“Larry’s an awesome person, a real standup guy. He’s just a genuine person,” he said. “He’s probably one of my best friends now.”

Project Rebound Director Stanley Peterson said Larry is a major asset for Project Rebound.

“Larry Gonzales is a bright star within the Project Rebound program who draws students together,” he said. “His kindness and passion for others is an inspiration to our entire campus. He is a living example of how higher education equips students for transformation.”

All of the efforts Gonzales is involved in on campus stem from his desire to help people, especially fellow veterans who have been incarcerated and are seeking a positive life change. That is a group he wants to continue to serve in his career after graduating from CSUB.

“This is a population that nobody wants to speak about, that most people have given up on,” he said. “I’ve been through it, and I know there’s a way out. There needs to be someone to tell these people that there’s a way out.”