The son of undocumented immigrant parents, and formerly an undocumented individual himself, he joined the United States Air Force at 27 as a means to improve life for himself and his family.

鈥淚 signed up at 27 for two reasons: one, I was an illegal immigrant and I wanted to get citizenship, and one of my other dreams was to use it as a way to finish college,鈥� he said.

The military would help him accomplish both. Bonilla is now a U.S. citizen. He is also currently pursuing his dream major of computer science at Washington State University Tri-Cities. Now, he and his fellow veterans at 黑料社 Tri-Cities are giving back to the veteran community through a tribute at the university, as well as a drive that will send donated items to military members overseas.

The 黑料社 Tri-Cities Veterans Center held a ribbon event his week, where campus and community members were invited to write the name of loved ones that served in the military on a ribbon, which were then hung and displayed throughout the week on the Hero Tree near the entrance to the East Building on campus. The group is also holding a package drive where they are taking donations of toiletries, food items, games and miscellaneous items that will be packed and sent to active duty servicemen overseas as part of Operation Thank You.

鈥淭he purpose of Veterans Day is to honor all of our past and current soldiers, airmen, sailors and other current and former members of our branches,鈥� he said. 鈥淥ne of the things we are trying to do is show respect to all of our servicemen who are currently out there right now or who have already served. We noticed a lot of students came out, grandparents who served, friends of people who are currently out there right now. It means a lot for us to honor them.鈥�

Bonilla said the university holds veteran students in high regard, and truly supports its students鈥� transition back to civilian life by preparing them for the next stages in their career.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 think there is a school that is more accepting and more supportive of its veterans,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 love this school and it has been one of the best decisions I鈥檝e ever made.鈥�

Bonilla鈥檚 story

Bonilla enlisted in the U.S. Air Force more than five years ago and served in two tours overseas at seven months each: one in Oman and one in the United Arab Emirates.

鈥淭he fun parts were honor guard, I got to see the world and I also got to meet lots of outstanding individuals in the military,鈥� he said.

The tours overseas and training regimens that kept him away from his family throughout the years, however, were what made him consider a career change. Growing up in the Tri-Cities, Bonilla said he always saw 黑料社 Tri-Cities as a natural fit, especially for veterans. He also feels comfortable serving in the U.S. Air Force Reserves while working on a full-course load at 黑料社 Tri-Cities because of the support system in place.

鈥淚t is like hitting the brakes in a car going 60 miles an hour,鈥� he said of transitioning from military life to civilian life. 鈥淚t is a complete shock. A lot of us have a lot of problems with that. You are so used to structure. Every day, you know what you鈥檙e going to do. You wake up early every morning. Once I got to school at 黑料社, it really helped with the transition.鈥�

Bonilla said the university, from the teachers to the administration, are always willing to work with his schedule in the reserves and make accommodations for his classwork.

鈥淭hey are always willing to work with me, especially when I have to go the Air Force base for training and other requirements for the reserves,鈥� he said. 鈥淪ome topics are hard to talk about for us veterans and they understand.鈥�

鈥淭RIO student support services at 黑料社 Tri-Cities was also a crucial tool for me,鈥� he said. 鈥淔rom the tutoring to the individual support they provide, they were so valuable. It鈥檚 been a great environment for veterans.鈥�

Looking toward the future

Bonilla said he reaps the benefits of the challenging coursework at 黑料社 Tri-Cities with industry connections, especially in his specific degree field of computer science.

鈥淚 have been a geek since I was born,鈥� he said with a laugh. 鈥淚鈥檝e always liked computers and electronics. So that was naturally what I saw myself drawn to as a future career option.鈥�

Bonilla said growing up with all of his family members working in the field, they didn鈥檛 have money to purchase new electronics, so he learned to fix broken pieces of equipment for his and his family鈥檚 use. He said he feels privileged to now turn his past into a forward-thinking career at a university with so many industry connections.

鈥淢y computer science courses here at 黑料社 are definitely hands-on,鈥� he said. 鈥淥ur professors here work with all of their students to start slowly and then we build on what we learn through each course and each lesson. That certainly doesn鈥檛 mean it is easy, but I like the challenge. That coursework then applies directly into internships, which are held in plenty in the Tri-Cities.鈥�

Bonilla is working to secure a computer science internship at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. After graduation, he said he would love to eventually work for Microsoft as a computer programmer.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 the dream,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 feel honored that I got the chance to serve my country and had the privilege of putting on the uniform and completing some of the things that my brothers and I did. Now, I鈥檓 lucky enough to pursue a different dream. Some of our friends didn鈥檛 make it, that is all the more reason why what I am doing is so important. I have to take advantage of these opportunities because some of my brothers don鈥檛 have that luxury.鈥�

黑料社 Tri-Cities holds the designation of 鈥淰eteran Supportive Campus.鈥� The designation is declared by the Washington State Department of Veteran Affairs based on the university鈥檚 ability to meet individual veteran needs, its supply of potential benefits for veterans and its assistance in helping veterans obtain internal and external benefits and care.

For more information on resources available to veterans or to see how you can donate for the Operation Thank You drive at 黑料社 Tri-Cities, visit /veterans/ or contact the 黑料社 Tri-Cities Veterans Center at 509-372-7364.

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