Syracuse Sun

After serving in the U.S. Army, Jaime Jacobson G’25 is extending her commitment to public service in academia. Currently pursuing a master's degree in higher education from the School of Education, Jacobson finds a strong connection between her military background and her future in supporting college students.

Before her time in the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General Corps (JAG Corps), Jacobson worked in advocacy. “I did my undergraduate degree at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and worked for a few years as a case manager for a nonprofit agency, particularly helping victims of domestic abuse,” she shared. Her interest in the military was influenced by family experiences. "I have two cousins that were both in the Army," Jacobson explained. Witnessing support provided by the military during a family crisis further solidified her decision to join.

Jacobson's experience in the Army included teaching roles. She worked as an instructor at the U.S. Army Military Police School in Missouri, training law enforcement officials. “Part of my job was training military law enforcement officials, new investigators, and special agents,” Jacobson said.

She and her husband, both trained as JAG officers, left the military to focus on their growing family. “My husband and I—we actually met at our officer basic course—were dual military,” Jacobson explained. Her husband transitioned to a role at Syracuse University, contributing there for over nine years. “Definitely a little shout out to the university, they really do a great job of hiring veterans,” Jacobson noted.

Aligned with her military experiences, Jacobson sees parallels between challenges faced by service members and college students. Her aim is to utilize her skills to support students in higher education.

“There’s a running joke amongst my cohort that I’ve led many lives before coming here—and they’re not wrong,” Jacobson commented. Her goal is to apply her military-acquired skills to improve experiences for service members and students at universities. “I want to be able to use a lot of the skills and experiences that I had in the military to improve the experiences of service members and be able to do that here at a college or university as well.”