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Five years ago, August Coleman was serving in the Army in Iraq. Today, she is one of 3,000 veterans enrolled in the City University of New York.

And while it's easier than ever for veterans like August to pay for college, thanks to the new version of the GI Bill, health and education officials say transitioning from the battlefield to the classroom is often very challenging.

“Dealing with some of their post-traumatic stress issues and just depression and all the mental health challenges that they face coming back from a really stressful war to what sometimes are stressful lives [can be difficult],” said James Knickman, president of the New York State Health Foundation. “So we find that is the big barrier to doing well in school.”

Besides being a student, Coleman is also one of CUNY's four veteran peer counselors. She's been trained and is paid to help other student vets navigate life on campus, as part of a new program, started by the Jewish Board of Family and Children's Services.

“When a veteran is reaching out to another veteran, they speak a common language, they have been through similar experiences and they can really relate,” explained the program’s director Caroline Peacock. “So having that connection can really help vets get the help if they need it.”

Coleman is studying nursing at Hostos Community College in the Bronx, but 12 hours a week, she reaches out to other veterans and helps them with everything from enrolling in college to filling out forms to seeking medical help, if needed.

“I have learned how to ask, well observe as well as ask, certain questions concerning mental health issues,” she said. “And also with the training, I have learned how to interact with other veterans. And not being too pushy, being more of a friend.”

“It is about really linking people with peers, people who have been in the military and also have problems,” said Knickman. “And these peers are just a great way of helping people who are taking advantage of the GI Bill to do better in school.”

With an estimated15 percent of veterans not getting the mental health services they need, CUNY hopes that having informed, empathetic peers on campus will allow local student vets to find the help they need to get the most out of college.