OUR Clemson; Student Affairs

Student Affairs Talk: Tia Jones

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Editor’s Note: This is the first installment of the “Student Affairs Talk” podcast for 2021-22. Communications Director for Student Affairs Philip Sikes visits with various leaders from the staff and student communities. Our first guest is Tia Jones, a student veteran and assistant in the office of Military and Veteran Engagement.

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Tia Jones has seen and experienced a lot in a short amount of time. Originally from Alaska, she first enrolled at Clemson University in Spring 2020. Unfortunately, her true student experience was cut short due to the onset of the COVID-19 global pandemic.

But, COVID-19 did not prevent Jones from immersing herself into the Clemson student veteran culture. She joined the Student Veterans Association soon after enrolling. Within months she was named treasurer for the organization that went on to be named 2020 National Chapter of the Year by the Student Veterans of America. She serves as a student assistant with Military and Veteran Engagement, where she helps veterans who are transitioning to and through Clemson.

Over the summer, she took part in the prestigious Focus Forward Fellowship — the fourth straight year Clemson sent a female student veteran to the Military Research Institute program at Purdue University.

In this week’s podcast, she detailed her experience with the Focus Forward Fellowship in depth, and also talked about serving four years in the United States Air Force and her role with Military and Veteran Engagement.

Click the play button below to listen to the podcast. View the entire transcript here.