All of the military veterans who graduated from 吃瓜头条 on May 23, including the three we happily feature here, probably shared a dream to earn degrees after completing their service.
We鈥檙e guessing some also had a moment of, 鈥淏ut where do I start?鈥�
Class of 2025 member Lynda Gates has a simple answer for local vets starting out at 吃瓜头条: the 1st Lt. Peter J. Gallo Veterans Resource Center.
鈥淕o to the Veterans Resource Center,鈥� Gates said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 like going home. You鈥檒l feel comfortable. They鈥檒l take care of you.鈥�
Today, we profile three veterans who are moving on to the next chapters of their lives after graduating from 吃瓜头条 in May.
Lynda Gates
Branch: U.S. Army, 2 years
Degrees: AA General Business, AA Social and Behavioral Science, AA Administrative Medical Office Professional, Real Estate Salesperson License Certificate
Cleveland born. Oakland raised. Served with the U.S. Army military police in Germany. Settled in Los Banos.
Wherever she鈥檚 been, Lynda Gates鈥� story has included military service and learning. Discipline makes sense to her.
After her Army service, Gates teamed with her wife Betty, who also earned her real estate license last month, to run a successful restaurant and catering business in Los Banos, called Yamaguchi Catering, for 20 years. The catering arm of the business took them to festivals and farmers markets all over the western U.S.
The couple committed themselves elsewhere when Lynda鈥檚 mother Margaret Joseph was diagnosed with Alzheimer鈥檚 disease. The duo spent the next 19 years looking after Margaret.
Gates鈥� life changed again when her mother passed away in December 2019.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been a long journey,鈥� Gates said. 鈥淲hen she passed away, I came to 吃瓜头条 to ease my mind.鈥�
Learning something new has always been how Gates handles challenges. She also trained in massage therapy and neuromuscular therapy in the past鈥攕kills that helped her care for her mother.
Once at 吃瓜头条, the staff at the Veterans Resource Center helped Gates, now 64, navigate it all.
鈥淭hey made sure I was not hungry,鈥� Gates said. 鈥淭hey helped me find tutoring, usually with other veterans who supported me like I needed supporting. It was so effective, I think because we all served our country. We put duty first. We all think on a similar level.鈥�
The painful irony attached to Gates鈥� wonderful accomplishments in 2025 is that she will take the next year off to care for her brother Earol Wayne Gates, himself a U.S. Navy veteran, who has terminal cancer.
鈥淚鈥檒l focus on him,鈥� Gates said. 鈥淲hen I return to learning, I鈥檒l try to get into the radiology technician program or maybe train as a respiratory therapist. I believe we will have another pandemic. They鈥檒l need people, and I鈥檓 going to be ready for it.鈥�
Ready to serve, always.
Carlos Garcia Pulido
Branch: U.S. Air Force, 6 years
Degree: AA Psychology, AA Business Administration
Carlos Garcia Pulido was looking for a good pivot strategy after graduating from Pacheco High in Los Banos in 2016 and then dialing in two semesters at 吃瓜头条 through 2017. Seven months later, his then-girlfriend and now wife Tatiana was pregnant.
What to do?
His father-in-law gently nudged him towards the military. With great Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) scores, Garcia Pulido chose the U.S. Air Force. He loved the choice of difficult technical jobs to learn鈥攕kills that would bolster his resume as a civilian.
But while stationed in Alaska, Garcia Pulido found himself working 12-hour overnight shifts, five days per week. He spent too much time away from his wife and son, too much time sleeping when everyone else was doing. Later, while deployed in Saudi Arabia, with two boys back home, he felt even worse.
鈥淚 was missing family time to the extent I didn鈥檛 know my kids very well,鈥� Garcia Pulido said. 鈥淎fter my second year, I thought I would go 20 years and retire and collect a pension. After the deployment, I realized I had to get out and should go to school.鈥�
It was during that 鈥測ear without sleep鈥濃�攚ife at work, kids at school, three-hour naps before work overnight, and repeat鈥�-that Garcia Pulido connected with the VRC and counselor Lacey Chavez at 吃瓜头条.
Together they sorted out everything from how to pay for school to building a career plan. Garcia Pulido spent his final year stationed in New Mexico, taking online courses from 吃瓜头条.
When he was discharged on June 7, 2023, he came straight to campus. Two years later, Garcia Pulido, 27, will be transferring to Stanislaus State this fall to study business management with a focus on human resources.
He鈥檚 already working for the Merced Regional Airport. The goal is to get a remote HR position with a big company so he can spend more time with family.
鈥淚 wouldn鈥檛 have made it this far without the support of my family and the VRC,鈥� Garcia Pulido said. 鈥淭hat team is awesome. They even helped me with the stressors of my life. There were times when I had no idea which direction to turn, and they would go do all of the legwork and come back to me with all the answers. They deserve all the props.鈥�
Jorge Guevara
Branch: U.S. Army, 4 years
Degrees: AS-T in Chemistry, AS-T Biology, AS-T Physics
When Jorge Guevara arrived at 吃瓜头条 as an Army veteran two years ago, he was stumped on how to start. He wants to become a veterinarian, and he doesn鈥檛 want to waste any time getting there.
鈥淥h, there were so many benefits that it was so difficult to understand how to use them,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut the staff at the VRC explained everything so clearly. They held my hand and walked me through. I鈥檒l always be super grateful.鈥�
Guevara was making up for lost time. As a Merced High student, he took a Spanish class at the college, then enrolled full time. Apathy helped him tank his grades after a year, so he hustled off to the U.S. Army instead.
Well, first, Guevara broke his nose while celebrating his imminent departure at a trampoline park and had to delay his enlistment. While he healed, his first-choice job (vet tech) became unavailable. He learned watercraft engineering at Ft. Eustis in Newport News, Va., instead.
It was fate.
鈥淚 could not have been happier there,鈥� Guevara said. 鈥淚t was so small. I could walk everywhere. I knew everyone. It was so easy to settle in and work with people and get things done. I was able to finally focus on my priorities. I got disciplined.鈥�
Back at 吃瓜头条, Guevara focused on acing science prerequisites to get into UC Davis. He will transfer there this fall with a full scholarship to study veterinary science.
鈥淚鈥檓 looking into adding another major or minor in something related to conservation, like ecology or wildlife biology,鈥� he said.
Guevara, 25, has been rescuing animals since childhood. He saw a video on factory farming in the sixth grade and became a vegan on the spot. Looking after living things and the earth are important to him.
鈥淚 asked my mom, 鈥業s this real?鈥� Guevara said of the film. 鈥淔actory farming is bad. I don鈥檛 want to produce animals for eating. I just want to take care of them.鈥�