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What We Do
Veterans Higher Education Corporation (VHEC) is a 501(c)(3) foundation started to provide financial assistance for veterans pursuing a graduate level degree. It is our truest desire to not only improve the lives of veterans but to help veterans achieve their highest educational goals. As an organization, we support servicemen and women from every branch of service.
VHEC is for the 21st Century veteran who is faced with the reality of not being able to secure a more desirable job because he or she lacks the appropriate education requirements and the financial resources to pursue this education. We award academic grants to active duty, active reserves, and veterans who are pursuing a graduate level degree. We are dedicated to empowering veterans and through their education achievement, connecting them with other organizations that provide a diverse range of career advancement, and mentorship opportunities.
The soldier is the Army. No army is better than its soldiers. The Soldier is also a citizen. In fact, the highest obligation and privilege of citizenship is that of bearing arms for one’s country. — George S. Patton Jr.
Get Involved
Help us grow in all of our efforts to support veterans’ education
To my fellow servicemen and women, we started Veterans Higher Education Corporation with the goal of helping you achieve your best academic potential. Regardless of the military branch in which you served, collectively we share the desire to protect our country in the face of adversity. It is because of this shared purpose and the corresponding sacrifices that each of us has made, that we strive to assist our comrade-in-arm. In 2012, when I initially began searching for financial assistance for veterans like myself, who wanted to accomplish academic goals beyond an undergraduate degree, I was disappointed: I could not find any organizations that promoted and fostered the idea.
As a veteran, it is my desire to not only strive for improvement, but also to achieve higher education goals. I wondered just how many veterans such as myself were facing similar challenges trying to figure out how to pay for school. I knew I was not alone. After coming up with the idea to start VHEC, I continued to ponder questions like who is this organization for? And is there a possibility that I will be able to make a difference in someone’s life, as well as my own? I knew this was not going to be an easy undertaking, but I felt a strong emotional conviction to move forward with this venture. I was motivated and determined to ask all the right questions, and to find a solution for all of us veterans.
I am humbled by the challenges that creating VHEC has posed, but I believe that starting this charitable organization has sharpened my personal values along side what I was taught during my time of service: loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity and personal courage. These core values are not only essential to my life, but are the foundation on which VHEC is based, and are shared among my fellow servicemen and women of the United States of America. It is my enthusiasm and commitment to further unite veterans in our efforts to achieve our higher educational aspirations without undertaking the stress of burdensome financial debt.
Charles B. King
Board of Directors
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Charles B. King
Founder
Founder of Veterans Higher Education Corporation, Charles served with the United States Army National Guard. He was deployed to Iraq in February 2002 with the 726th Maintenance Battalion, where he served as an Intelligence and Administrative specialist for 18 months.
Upon his return, Charles graduated with a Bachelor’s degree from Chapman University in Southern California, all while continuing to serve in the California Army National Guard. It was through his own process of extensive research that he identified the vital opportunity to connect eligible veterans with financial programs to assist them. Hence, VHEC was established to assist those who gave so much to their country: to help them achieve their highest potential by going to college.
Charles has been awarded the National Defense Service Medal, Global War On Terrorism Expeditionary and Service Medal, Armed Forces Reserve Medal, and US Army Service Ribbon. Charles is currently attending Harvard Graduate Extension School.
Fred Medrano
Director
Director at Veterans Higher Education Corporation and owner of BeyondSteel Inc., Fred is a veteran who started his career in 2002 as a Human Resource and Administrative Specialist. Upon his military training completion, Fred was stationed in Korea, where he served active duty for 5 years. Upon completion of his tour, he enrolled at Cerritos College majoring in economics, while working as a consultant in the steel industry. Fred persevered, got his license and resale permit to establish building his own company BeyondSteel Inc. from the ground up.
Fred strongly advocates his fellow veteran comrades as well as active duty personnel to achieve higher education for the advancement of their future.
Beatus Mushi
Treasurer
Treasurer at VHEC, Beatus studied accounting with a concentration in Information Systems and Technology at the Institute of Accountancy, Arusha. He moved to the United States in 2004, and majored in Economics from Chapman University. Beatus joined the US Army in June 2009 as a combat medic and has been decorated with various awards, including the Commander’s Cup Achievement Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Global war on terrorism Award and Joint Command Award. He has been working with the Special Forces Airborne Unit, and has visited more than 20 countries in the past 5 years of his services.
Beatus mentors his fellow comrades by organizing workshops to manage their finances during deployment. Beatus is currently serving in the US Army and plans to earn his MBA in the upcoming year.
Harsimranjit (Sam) Singh
Webmaster, Fundraising Advisor
A 2011 Computer Engineering graduate from Purdue, with significant experience in programming, media, and entrepreneurship, Sam Singh serves as the webmaster and fundraising advisor at VHEC. He works as a software engineer with Wayfair.com. At Purdue, he worked as a research assistant analyzing student learning patterns, teaming interfaces, and managing admission records for incoming engineering freshmen. He was also a part of a startup, Veesearch, that aimed to solve the repetition of effort in searching and collaborating online.
During his high school, he founded and served as the President of ICare, a youth organization to involve students in philanthropic efforts and contribute to the betterment of the society. The organization organized multiple blood donation camps and raised considerable funds for the welfare of the blind.
“Coming from India, a developing country, I have seen and dealt with the challenge of education costs. Even though I was lucky to have a scholarship and a well-paying on-campus job, funding a college tuition was definitely a challenge. VHEC is a way for me to help the veteran society walk through this arduous path.” – Sam
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