When Tyeshia Boone decided she was ready to leave the Air Force after eight years on active duty, she wasn’t sure what was next.

The transition from the military to civilian life felt exciting—but daunting. Boone had spent five years at the Pentagon and most of three others stationed at Dover Air Force Base. There, she worked in personnel, a human resources-like role charged with keeping service members’ information up-to-date, including marriage status, promotions, evaluations, and more.

As she contemplated the transition to a similar civilian career, AU played a key role in helping her on her new mission. Through a fellowship with Hiring Our Heroes (HOH), an initiative sponsored by the US Chamber of Commerce Foundation—which connects service members with American businesses to diversify the workforce and help transitioning service members, veterans, and military spouses find employment opportunities—Boone is finishing up 12 weeks with the university’s human resources department.

“It’s definitely a culture shock from being in the military, especially if you join straight out of high school or at age 19 or 20,” Boone said. “Being able to see what else is out there is definitely helpful.”

Over the course of her fellowship, Boone has shadowed AU staff members in a variety of HR roles. She's spent four days per week working for AU and another day learning how to craft a winning resume, leverage LinkedIn for job openings, and apply for positions during weekly training sessions with the Chamber of Commerce’s HOH team.

Now in its 12th year, HOH has worked to create meaningful employment opportunities for hundreds of thousands of veterans and military spouses—89 percent of whom land a job following their fellowship. 

“One of the things we were able to give her was a good understanding of all the moving pieces it takes to run an HR shop for a midsize university,” said Jennifer Scott, managing director of talent acquisition at AU. “That was probably one of the most rewarding things—that she can see all the different ways she can move her career forward.”

Boone is the first service member that the AU HR recruitment team has worked with through HOH—but Scott said she won’t be the last.

“We were very excited to have a transitioning veteran on the team, so we can learn from them, and they can learn from us,” Scott said. “It was something that was mutually beneficial.”

Boone has immersed herself in the AU experience, even while working mostly remotely. She visited and toured campus, became deeply involved the behind-the-scenes operations work, and even joined an HR team participating in Walktober, AhealthyU’s step challenge in October.

Before landing the fellowship, Boone said she hadn’t considered working in higher education. But after spending three months learning alongside such caring colleagues, she hopes to embark on a career in recruiting for a college or university.

“[The best part] was the team,” Boone said. “They’re really positive and welcoming. It was a breath of fresh air.”

Marking Veterans Day 2023

The HOH partnership is just one example of the ways AU supports veterans and those affiliated with the military. On Friday, November 10, at 1 p.m., the Civil Military Society and Military Connected Club will celebrate students, faculty, and staff who have served during a Veterans Day ceremony at the Washington College of Law quad. All are welcome to attend.

Student Affairs also runs the Veterans Service Support Network, which provides AU’s military connected student population with resources.

"The Veterans Services Support Network seeks to bring together the knowledge, experience, and expertise of colleagues across campus to provide military-connected students with the resources needed to achieve their educational goals," said Alicia Marsh, a network member and associate director of veterans services in AU Central. "This group of dedicated staff and faculty meet quarterly, as well as in real-time as needed, to help our military-connected students with any issues that may arise as well as share resources and best practices for student success."