CITY OF INDUSTRY – Hacienda La Puente Unified School District has been named a top employer among veterans in the workforce according to Forbes’ 2021 America’s Best Employers for Veterans survey, released on Nov. 9.

The District ranked among the top 200 companies receiving the highest total scores, from all industry sectors, across the country. In partnership with research and analysis firm Statista, Forbes surveyed more than 5,000 U.S. veterans who served in the United States Armed Forces – either in the active military, National Guard or military reserves. All respondents work part- or full-time for companies with at least 1,000 employees.

Employers were evaluated based on direct and indirect recommendations. Direct recommendations came from veterans employed at the company being ranked and included ratings on qualities such as atmosphere and development, image, working conditions, salary and wage, workplace and diversity, and a set of issues specific to the interests of veterans in the workplace. Indirect recommendations allowed veterans to evaluate other employers in their respective industries that stand out either positively or negatively. Visit the Forbes website to view the survey methodology.
Hacienda La Puente Unified has employed veterans such as Roland A. Souza, a retired Master Sergeant who served in the U.S Army for 20 years. Souza has taught in the Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) program at La Puente High School for four years, fostering student success by teaching leadership, social skills and motivating students to be better citizens. Visit the La Puente High School website for more information about JROTC in Hacienda La Puente Unified.

“To me, being a veteran means feeling the absolute pride and emotional gratification of serving our great country,” Souza said. “Hacienda La Puente Unified recognizes the commitment and dedication it takes for veterans to serve our country and values the leadership skills and a sense of purpose the military experience provides.”

The Hacienda La Puente Division of Adult Education also has a veterans office, which assists veterans in furthering their education by offering a wide variety of Veteran Affairs-approved career technical education courses.

“This award recognizes our commitment to cultivating a work environment that welcomes the veteran community as we aim to promote diversity, equality and inclusion in our District,” Superintendent Dr. Alfonso Jiménez said. “Thank you to all of our fantastic veteran employees for their exceptional leadership, values and capabilities that help strengthen our District every day; we are proud to have you on our team.”

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HLPUSD_VETERANS: Retired Master Sergeant General Roland A. Souza, approaching his fifth year of instruction with La Puente High School’s Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps Program (JROTC), is among the veterans employed at Hacienda La Puente Unified School District.