Everyday Ut Prosim: How Hokie Teonna Jones serves

The Latin phrase Ut Prosim can be puzzling to pronounce. Yet every Hokie knows its meaning: That I May Serve.

More than just the university's motto since 1896, Ut Prosim is the principle driving Virginia Tech students, faculty, staff, and alums to make an impact. Every time Hokies sign up, show up, act kindly, and put big ideas into action, that's Ut Prosim. When they make their campus, their community, or their world a better place, that's Ut Prosim.

How and why Hokies serve is the subject of a new series called "Everyday Ut Prosim," launched today in honor of National Day of Service. In it we'll explore some of the ways the spirit of That I May Serve shows up in the lives of people like senior Teonna Jones, who volunteered as a Hokie Helper in August.

Three students sit behind a table covered with maroon buttons; one is speaking and holding a paper.

_{(From left) Ryan Krzysik, Teonna Jones, and Alex Coyan. Photo by Christina Franusich for Virginia Tech.}

Pile of maroon buttons on a table that say things like "Hokie Alum," "Future Hokie," "Proud Hokie," "Hokie Brother."

Stack of lanyards for new students that say "Welcome Home".

A stack of papers, "How Can I Help You?" lanyards, maps, and a water bottle are splayed on a plastic table.

^{Buttons, lanyards, maps, and water bottles are part of the swag available to new students. Photo by Christina Franusich for Virginia Tech.}

Jones, a senior from Portsmouth majoring in public health, remembers all too well how chaotic her own move-in was. “I know it can be very stressful, so I wanted to be able to help take some weight off their shoulders,” she said.

As 8,100 students and their harried families descended on campus for move-in week, Aug. 18-25, Jones was one of 693 volunteers Hokie Helpers — a mix of students, faculty, staff, and community members — who passed out maps, answered questions, unloaded overstuffed cars, and offered a warm welcome to new students.

Two women wheel a large red moving cart down a sidewalk while talking to a third woman in a yellow sweatshirt.

_{(From left) Teonna Jones with Diandra Hall and first-year student Jocelyn Hall. Photo by Christina Franusich for Virginia Tech.}

A woman in a yellow sweatshirt points something out to another woman while walking across campus.

_{Walking through the residential side of campus. Photo by Christina Franusich for Virginia Tech.}

Three women wait to unload items into a red cart from a car, as part of new student move-in.

_{Unloading at the Halls' car. Photo by Christina Franusich for Virginia Tech.}

The Hokie Helpers tradition goes back at least 14 years. “It allows us to offer a friendly, efficient, and high touch move-in experience for our students and families,” said Rebecca Caldwell, the director of Residential Well-being in Student Affairs. “It’s an opportunity [for Hokie Helpers] to show our spirit … and celebrate the beginning of the school year.”

Jocelyn Hall, a human development major from Richmond, arrived at Jones's table mid-morning on Thursday to check in with her mom, Diandra. When they grabbed a red rolling cart, ready to load up a carful of necessities, Jones jumped up to give them a hand.

Two Black women carry bags of clothes across campus, while many people fill the background.

_{(From left) Teonna Jones and Jocelyn Hall make their way back to Peddrew-Yates Hall. Photo by Christina Franusich for Virginia Tech.}

The back of the Halls’ car contained a Jenga stack of clothes, bedding, cleaning supplies, toiletries, a lamp, a mirror, and Costco-sized boxes of snacks. Jones had flashbacks of her own move-in day in 2020. “I moved in during COVID, so there weren’t a lot of Hokie Helpers around, just me and my family. So I'm glad that we can help give other people extra hands if they need it, and advice too.”

Jones gamely grabbed a pile of clothes on hanger and led the way back to Peddrew-Yates, where Jocelyn will live for the next year.

_{In the elevator. Photo by Christina Franusich for Virginia Tech.}

Two women and a man pushing a red cart walk down a hallway in a residential hall.

_{Teonna Jones and Jocelyn Hall follow Jocelyn’s father, Kelvin Hall (at center), through the corridors of Peddrew-Yates Hall. Photo by Christina Franusich for Virginia Tech.}

Two women holding clothes on hangers admire a dorm room.

_{Admiring Jocelyn Hall’s new suite. Photo by Christina Franusich for Virginia Tech.}

Luckily, Peddrew-Yates happens to be the dorm where Jones lived for three years, so she knows her way around. That was definitely not the case four years ago. “I didn’t know there was an elevator there when I first moved in," Jones said. "I thought I was going to have to carry this big cart upstairs.”

With Jones leading the way, the Halls found the elevator just fine and navigated to Jocelyn's third-floor suite. When Jones finally left the Halls to it, she called out, “Good luck on your first week,” adding, “You’ll see me again. I’ll be here.”

That was part of the reason Jones volunteered. “As a senior, I don’t get to meet too many freshmen. I wanted them to see my face and let them know that I'm here to listen if they need help.”

Four students sit at long tables as they volunteer as Hokie Helpers. One wears a shirt that says "Welcome Home."

_{(From left) Hokie Helpers Cheyenne Stephens, a sophomore majoring in animal and poultry sciences, Ryan Krzysik, Teonna Jones, and Alex Coyan. Photo by Christina Franusich for Virginia Tech.}

A Black woman in a yellow sweatshirt with clear glasses and braids sits at a table.

A woman in a yellow sweatshirt hands a paper to fellow students.

^{At the Hokie Helper table, Teonna Jones chats with new students and hands out helpful informational sheets. Photo by Christina Franusich for Virginia Tech.}

Being president of the Kappa Psi chapter of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority gives Jones plenty of opportunities to volunteer, something she'd always craved. “I’d see them on campus my freshman year doing a lot of service, and I’d think, I want to do that too and just give back to my community," she said.

For Jones, that’s the heart of Ut Prosim: “being a helping hand, being a good Samaritan. Just being a good Hokie.”