In 2017, Josh Jones began his journey as a United States Marine. He joined the Marine Corps for two significant reasons: to be able to pay for higher education, and to grow and mature before leaping into college. Nearly six years later, Jones is now a student veteran at Loyola University – Chicago pursuing an economics degree. His goals while there are to excel academically and create a community that fosters relationships between veterans at Loyola and the greater community. In the fall of 2021, Jones began serving as Chapter President of the Student Veterans of America Loyola Chicago. Since then, he has grown the chapter from a social club with only two members to an organization of over thirty members who are focused on guiding veterans through higher education and providing professional opportunities. Under his leadership, SVA Loyola has had a track record of “firsts.” Some examples of these initiatives include spearheading the first-ever student-initiated student-veteran career fair in Illinois; the first student-veteran panel at the 2022 American Legion National

Conference, and the first Loyola University student veterans to attend the SVA Leadership Institute. Entering his position as president there were no by-laws, the chapter experienced low engagement, and they had next to no relationships with campus partners. Jones’ goal since taking over was to leave Loyola SVA and the Chicagoland community better than he found it. Loyola SVA has diminished the gap of differences between Loyola student veterans and their community by establishing existing relationships with corporations and campus partners and creating long-lasting events that foster interaction between the student body and student veterans. To ensure this is continued, he has created an organizational handbook that illustrates how to replicate this success step-by-step.

Jones has now created a student-led non-profit in Chicago which bridges student veterans in Chicago together to provide them with professional development opportunities. Aside from working on his education and growing his professional experience. You can find him at his local coffee shop reading a book or attending games from his favorite sports team the Chicago White Sox.