Community members gather at Metropolitan Community College for the Veterans Day Celebration
Savannah Behrends
Copywriter and features editor | November 11, 2025
More than 160 guests gathered at the Metropolitan Community College Center for Advanced Manufacturing for the annual Veterans Day Celebration on Nov. 11.
MCC, which serves four counties in Nebraska, has more than 800 military or military-connected students currently enrolled. The celebration spotlighted several of those students, including three from the photography program: Claire Guinzy, U.S. Army veteran; Nanika (Niki) James, spouse of a U.S. Navy veteran; and Robbin Alex, U.S. Navy veteran.
Alex was also featured in a reflection video with three other students who shared why they joined the military, what they learned from the experience and why they chose MCC.
Alex, who served as a nurse, gravitated toward photography out of enjoyment.
“I am a nurse and I have to be on point every day. You can’t make a mistake when other people’s lives depend on you,” she said. “I always loved photography, and I wanted to do something less life and death. The instructors broadened my horizons; they didn’t let me just go to the things I liked, like barns and flags.”
David Cruz, U.S. Navy veteran, spoke about his desire to help other veterans in north Omaha express themselves. He is on track to receive an associate degree in business administration and hopes to open a veterans community center.
Service Beyond Active Duty
Continuing to serve was a theme throughout the program. Like Cruz, keynote speaker Tony Barnes was looking to support fellow veterans when he opened Victory Riding Academy (VRA) with his wife, JoDee Barnes. Tony Barnes served in the U.S. Navy from 1986 to 1990 as an aviation fire control technician. JoDee Barnes is a U.S. Air Force veteran. Both have family members who served.
In 2010, the couple opened VRA to offer veterans and military-connected community members opportunities for healing through equine therapy. Since opening, they have served 4,850 individuals.
“That is 4,850 moments of trust and healing,” Barnes said. “Each ride represents more than time in the saddle. It represents a veteran rediscovering calm, or a family reconnecting and learning to breathe again after years of high stress. That’s the magic that happens when horses meet heroes.”
Rounding out the event was Mandy Robinson, whose husband served on active duty in the U.S. Air Force for more than 25 years.
“The military life has been good to us, but it hasn’t always been easy,” she said. “As an aircraft mechanic, Dan always worked long, untraditional hours and was called to serve on several deployments. Thankfully, we were blessed with a village of friends, neighbors, co-workers and countless others who knew what we were going through and showed up without being asked.”
After raising four children, Robinson found a new village at MCC, where she is pursuing a nursing degree.
“Being an older, nontraditional student, I was worried about going back to school after such a long absence,” she said. “Thanks to the wonderful benefits I have because of my husband’s service and the generosity of scholarship donors, I am on track to finish my education and graduate this summer.”
Visit mccneb.edu/VMRC to learn more about how MCC supports veterans and military-connected citizens.