Monte Vista High Alum Mia Geurts Named Veteran of the Year

Mia Geurts, a 2002 graduate of , and 2011 graduate of U.C. Berkeley, was honored recently as the 15th Assembly District’s Veteran of the Year.

Assemblywoman Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley) recognized Geurts' military service as well as her volunteer efforts at a June 22 luncheon in Sacramento that was coordinated by the Committee on Veterans Affairs.

Born and raised in the East Bay, Geurts moved to Danville when she was 12.

After graduating from Monte Vista, Geurts served as an Army combat medic in Iraq for four years, and earned Combat Medical and Expert Field Medical badges in recognition of her work under fire.

Geurts says she was drawn to medicine and the military “from as far back as I can remember.”

“After graduating high school I wanted to do something different,” he says Geurts. “I wanted to go out in the world, do something challenging and, if possible, make a difference.”

She says serving as a combat medic in the Army seemed like “a perfect fit.”

Her passion for medicine and serving others has continued since her return home from active duty.

Geurts graduated in May from U.C. Berkeley with a degree in molecular and cell biology, and plans to apply to medical school next summer.

After medical school, she says she looks forward to returning to the Army and continuing her service.

“I grew to love the challenges military service presented and the camaraderie among those I served with.” 

Assemblywoman Skinner particularly commended Geurts for her commitment to others.

While at U.C. Berkeley, Geurts became involved with the student organization Volunteers for Medical Outreach.

She traveled twice with the group to Vietnam, providing basic medical care and preventative services in rural communities that lack access to health care.

Through mobile clinics, Geurts helped reach up to 1,000 people each day with general health and dental services, Hepatitis B vaccines and sponsorship of corrective surgeries.

“My medical work in Vietnam is an extension of my passion for medicine and my desire to give back to communities that need it most,” she says.

Geurts says she has found purpose in continuing to serve her fellow veterans locally.

She volunteers at Livermore Veterans Hospital and is a member of the Cal Veterans Group at U.C. Berkeley.

Geurts says volunteering at the hospital has helped her “reintegrate into my community” and is “very rewarding.” 

Encouraging fellow veterans to become reconnected through charity is another of Geurts' missions.  

“Returning home from the military was more challenging than I’d anticipated,” she says. “I found it difficult to relate to my peers and to the often much younger students I attended school with.”

Becoming involved in student veterans’ groups helped a lot, she says.

“I’m not sure where I’d be today if not for the support of my fellow veterans."

Geurts says she wants to helps others as they transition.

“My volunteer work in this regard is incredibly important to me,” she says. “I want nothing more than to ensure service members have a community to come home to.”

Geurts says she was “surprised and overwhelmed” when she learned that she would receive the Veteran of the Year award.

She says it is an honor to represent the 15th District and her fellow veterans.

“I feel very strongly that the reason I’ve been able to do the things I’ve done since returning home from the military has been my supportive family and my fellow veterans, both of which I am truly thankful for.”