Hope Garcia Fights to Better the Lives of Others

Hope GarciaHope Garcia is a survivor. Having been raised by a single mother, Hope started working at the age of 14 to support herself. The Connecticut native wanted to move away from her home, so she attended an art school in Florida immediately after high school. However, working full-time and going to college, she felt she was not progressing fast enough in school. Frustrated, Hope decided to quit school and join the Navy.

She served 10 years in the Navy before retiring as permanently disabled in 2013. While in service, Hope had two sons, now 10 and 5. The same year, she moved to California where her children’s father lived. She continues to struggle with PTSD and with trauma from two sexual assaults during her service.

Hope earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal science from a regionally accredited institution in Louisiana, but the degree was not valid in California. In addition, she was unable to work in the criminal science field due to her disability. Hope enrolled at Cerritos College in 2014 to study art/graphic design. As a student, she advocated for veterans, women, mental issues and against sexual abuse in the military. Hope also served as an active member of the Associated Students of Cerritos College cabinet and as president of student clubs the Artists’ Society, Graphic Design Club and Student Veterans Club.  While in school, Hope decided to build a career as a pin-up model. She placed in the top 25 for Ms. Veteran America to become a voice for body positivity and women in service.  

Through her participation in the Ms. Veteran America competition, Hope was featured in a documentary called Served Like A Girl (2017) that chronicled the lives of female veterans transitioning from soldier to civilian. The film helped Hope reunite with her estranged mother for a short period until her mother’s sudden passing in 2016.

In 2017, Hope earned associate degrees in graphic design and communications, and is currently working on obtaining a holistic massage therapist license. She will continue to work as a pinup model, and as an advocate for body positivity and women in military. She plans to continue her work to raise awareness about military sexual abuse and trauma, PTSD, mental illness and child abuse.