Hokie veteran spotlight: Jasmine Tucker
During the month of November, the Office for Equity and Accessibility (OEA) team is encouraging all protected veterans to self-identify through Hokie Team or their human resources office. Self-identification allows Virginia Tech to recognize and support our veterans and supports strategic efforts to create and maintain diversity within faculty and staff. As part of this effort, we are highlighting some of our veterans who proudly served.
Jasmine Tucker, a retired first sergeant in the U.S. Army and a senior affirmative action specialist at Virginia Tech since 2023, talks about the skills she mastered in the military that have been useful in her career, her favorite experience in the military, what she hoped employers understood about veterans, and more.
How did your service prepare you for your role at Virginia Tech?
The Army taught me how to look at a larger vision and understand how my role or job nests within broader strategic plans. Understanding how each person contributes in their own way is important to building a sense of community and investment in the organization; it is also important that we all understand how every person’s contribution supports something bigger.
What skill or talent did you master in the military that you still use today?
A skill that I mastered is the ability to figure things out with existing resources. When I deployed, whatever I had is what I had — there was no way to get additional resources quickly. I also learned the importance of maintaining a good attitude. If I have to do something unpleasant, doing it with a bad attitude doesn’t change the task at hand — it makes it harder. But laughter makes the unpleasant go faster.
If you could narrow it down to one thing, what do you wish employers understood about veterans?
The most important thing veterans bring to the table is the ability to figure things out. The military teaches us how to find creative and innovative solutions with whatever resources we have in situations where failure is not an acceptable option.
What was your favorite experience in the military?
My favorite experiences include traveling and being able to experience the world outside of a book or television. Going to the Louvre and seeing how small the Mona Lisa is, realizing how big the Winged Victory stands, buying spices at the market in Morrocco, and parasailing in Malta, these are all the things I got to experience because the Army took me around the world.
What has been the best part of working at Virginia Tech?
The best part of working at Virginia Tech is the people who have gone out of their way to ensure my transition from the military to the civilian workforce has been painless. There is a genuine commitment to inclusion in the OEA and it has made my transition so much easier than many of my peers.
What made you consider Virginia Tech as a place to work as a civilian?
I wanted to work for an employer that did more than talk about hiring veterans, and I wanted to join an organization with which I could grow. I spent more than 27 years with one organization, and I wanted to join an organization that inspired that kind of loyalty as well. I have friends who are alumni who encouraged me to pursue this position.
What advice would you give to current service members who will be joining the workforce soon?
No matter how easy the transition, it can be hard — but you do not have to do it alone. There are veterans out here who can help, organizations that understand the unique skills that you bring to the table and will welcome you, and a whole world outside of the military to explore. But the most important thing is communication; sometimes the struggles to transition come down to communication failures. Do not assume anything is the same and ask every question. In most cases, even the people who do not understand your struggle are willing to help if you just ask.
Resources for veterans
For protected veterans who want to update their status, contact your human resources representative or utilize the self-service link on the Hokie Team Access Menu.
For any veterans in need of assistance or community, the Virginia Tech Veterans Caucus is one of 10 faculty/staff caucuses representing differing communities at the university. The purpose of the Veterans Caucus is to improve the working, learning, and living environment for employee and student veterans; advocate for the mentoring of, and transitional support for veterans returning to work and/or school, and recommend actions to improve the recruitment and retention of employee and student veterans. If you are interested in learning more, email Virginia Tech Veterans Caucus at vtvc07@gmail.com.
