USM Military Student Selected as Southern Style Member of the Year

Fri, 11/20/2020 - 09:16am | By: Van Arnold

The University of Southern Mississippi’s Center for Military Veterans, Service Members and Families is proud to announce that Jordan Maxwell has been selected as the 2020 Southern Style Member of the Year. 

Maxwell is active in numerous campus-wide activities and currently serves as president of the USM Student Veterans of America where she spends much of her time each day reaching out to and supporting student veterans. She is the daughter of a decorated Vietnam-era Air Force veteran and proud to continue her family tradition of service by supporting USM military students.

As a member of Southern Style, she serves as an ambassador with fellow peers to assist new students transitioning to USM.

“Throughout the summer I got to give these students the most unforgettable experiences with their orientations even if they happened to be virtual,” said Maxwell. “I was truly honored to be in this leadership position to be a dependable and friendly face on campus. Overall, I was able to share my love for Southern Miss with the incoming 2024 class.”

Maxwell is a junior communications studies major from Mobile, Ala., with plans to graduate in 2022. Her campus involvement is remarkably vast to include: President of the Student Veterans of America; Pi Beta Phi fraternity membership: Secretary for Gamma Beta Phi; member of the Black- Eyed Susan’s (a USM women’s leadership honorary); and Golden Eagle Welcome Week executive. In addition, she finds time as a work study student at the Center for Military Veterans Service Members and Families.

She selected USM as her college home out of a desire to expand her personal horizons.

“I lived about 30 minutes away from home in high school to attend the Alabama School of Math and Science, so I wanted to extend the idea of exploring what the world has to offer by going out of state,” said Maxwell. “Initially, when I visited the campus I got this feeling of happiness and it was so welcoming to visit and I knew this was the place for me. It also helps that I was able to use some VA benefits to add to my scholarships I was awarded to pay for college.”

Following graduation, she plans to pursue a career in human resource management.

“I found this to be a career path for me since I am also taking a minor in management and I love to plan and organize the main parts of organizations,” said Maxwell. “I can see myself doing that for the rest of my career in life. I try to always smile and let people know they have a friend in me, which directly connects me to HR. They are there to hold the connections with the employees and the management.”

For more information regarding the USM Center for Military Veterans, Service Members and Families, please contact our website at www.usm.edu/military-veterans.