Wally Miranda grew up in a bad environment and had a negative upbringing. He graduated from high school and took the opportunity to join the military for eleven years. Miranda did not have faith in his smarts or his ability to face the loneliest challenges. However, these challenges and his loneliness only made him stronger.
“Take the opportunity you receive and invest in it” he said. “Opportunities do not come every day.”
Photo by Ash Guitard
After retiring from the military, he met his wife, Marceli, who motivated him and encouraged him to start a new chapter in his life. Together, while he began healing with Marceli, they began searching for their education in many schools from a variety of places around the world.
“It’s [some coursework] an easy A, but that is the mentality,” Miranda said. “I don’t look at it as a grade, I look at it as an opportunity to create what’s inside, bring it out, and display it for other people to look at and express yourself.”
The Vets Create program was one of their options online, and he enrolled. Miranda, who earned a master’s in Non-Profit Organization Leadership from Rutgers University in 2022, advocates for others who are also facing challenges in life. “It is never too late to start something new,” he said.
Trent Berning, a college professor and director of the Vets Create program, volunteers out of unconditional love for his veteran students. Berning graduated from California in 2006 and wanted to teach most of the art to those who retired from the military.
His students, Miranda, Barry Myers, Janice Mitchell, Louis Sullo, and numerous other veterans improve their mental health with therapeutic arts in the Vets Create program.
Photo by Ash Guitard
Photo by Ash Guitard
Photo by Ash Guitard
“As an artist educator, I often talk about the power of art in our lives, but through veteran art programs, I have witnessed first-hand the therapeutic qualities of the arts, the camaraderie created in a communal studio, and the physical and mental benefits of the ceramic medium” Berning said. “I am excited to expand on this idea with the Vets Create program that will cover all our studio arts classes for the benefit of our veterans and their families.”
It amazes Berning how the smallest influences like Veterans Day and major influences such as war can greatly impact a veteran’s well-being. Berning recalls one student’s response to seeing Facebook posts celebrating Veterans Day. The posts dragged the person into a deep depression where they could not get out of bed. Once they confessed to Berning about how they felt, they began improving after joining the therapeutic courses the program has to offer to improve their mental health. The student sent him a message privately. “As my life is indeed currently out-of-balance,” the student said. “With time, all will change and progress. The objects I produce are steppingstones to peace.”
Myers served eight years, Mitchell served twenty years, and Sullo served five years of service and returned to society with no regrets. The Vets Create program gave them a reason to get out of bed and do something to entertain their lives. They realize that life is too short to dwell on temporary pain, and sorrow and pain can be prolonged if they dwell on the past. “It is important to be creative,” Myers said. “It channels you and makes a big difference in your life.”