Recently, the New York Film Academy College of Visual & Performing Arts (NYFA) Student Veteran Organization (SVO) of the NYFA Los Angeles Campus organized a new student welcome event at the local Burbank VFW Ship. The morning began with a breakfast for a Burbank scout troop that was organized by a NYFA alumnus who is also a veteran.
Veteran students from all branches of service and disciplines met to network and to develop the camaraderie that many service members felt while in the military. The NYFA Student Veteran Organization facilitates these events to build on the vet-to-vet interaction that helps many of our returning warriors as they transition out of the military.
Those who attended were able to connect with fellow NYFA veterans and military dependents. “The Burbank VFW is a great resource for our student veterans as they have welcomed all of our veterans with open arms and serve as liaisons to the local community, said Vincent Cugno, NYFA BFA Acting student who also serves as the SVO President.”
The SVO used this opportunity to host its first meeting of the fall 2017 semester and to introduce the new incoming class of NYFA veteran students and also to discuss ideas as to how to engage the veteran community and to organize events to support their fellow veterans. The SVO plans on creating a Veteran Production team within the College in conjunction with the VFW.
The New York Film Academy student population is incredibly diverse just as is the US military. NYFA’s enrollment is more than 50% international students who come from many different countries, backgrounds, and all have unique life experiences. The SVO intends to bring NYFA veteran students together with their classmates from around the world to tell stories in collaboration.
The SVO is collaborating with the NYFA Service Learning Department and the City of Burbank – Thank A Soldier event on 21 October.