SVA Announces New Outreach Coordinators

WASHINGTON, D.C.  (February 2, 2024) - Student Veterans of America (SVA) has welcomed new members to its Programs and Chapter Services team. This team oversees various programs and events supporting student veterans, military-connected students, and their families, from the annual National Conference to Regional Summits and more. With these recent additions, the team is now stronger and more eager than ever to advance SVA's mission of supporting student veterans and their families.

Meet our newest Outreach Coordinators!

Jacelynmarie Achiu, an Army veteran and University of Nevada-Las Vegas (UNLV) alumna, joined the SVA team in January 2024. While Achiu is a recent addition to the SVA National Headquarters staff, she has been affiliated with SVA in her roles as the Vice President of the UNLV RebelVets and SVA Leadership Fellow.

Since her time at the Leadership Institute, Achiu has aspired to expand her role within the SVA community. Her goal is to assist student veterans, and this role as an outreach coordinator is a dream come true. "I knew I wanted to work for SVA, especially after my experience at the Leadership Institute," said Achiu.

In this role, Achiu is excited to promote the benefits of SVA to chapters across her region, highlighting the programs and services we offer to student veterans and their benefits. Noting that the veteran community is diverse, she wants student veterans to know that SVA reflects the diversity within the community.

Through her leadership experiences, she learned that she is not alone in the veteran community, and she wants to help others eliminate perceived imposter syndrome. "I feel SVA has changed the stigma of what a veteran looks like," said Achiu.

John Morris, an Air Force veteran and current undergraduate at the University of Massachusetts Boston, joined the team in January 2024. Prior to joining SVA staff, Morris was part of the SVA community in his role as the President of the SVA chapter at Bristol Community College and is an SVA Leadership Fellow.

Morris has witnessed the impact SVA has on both the community and student veterans and wants to use his outreach experience gained at Bristol Community College to assist other SVA chapters.

In this role, John is eager to begin interacting with the many chapters assigned to his region and spreading SVA chapter best practices. He further stated that he "can't wait to visit chapters and understand how chapters are doing well."

Olivia Brinsfield, a military spouse and Louisiana State University alumna, recently joined SVA as an outreach coordinator. Brinsfield has years of expertise in the student veteran community, particularly in Post 9/11 GI Bill administration, state and federal compliance, and community outreach.

Brinsfield was introduced to SVA as an undergraduate working at the University of Alabama. However, while working at the Galen College of Nursing, she became more involved with SVA, noting that SVA is inclusive of all military-affiliated students.

Although not a veteran herself, Brinsfield has been military-affiliated her entire life through; her father was an Air Force veteran. She was able to attend university using her father's GI Bill and knows firsthand the benefits of the GI Bill. "I've seen the level of mobility that can happen when veterans have access to resources in higher education," said Brinsfield. "Essentially, what I want to do with my career is to give back and help veterans who want to achieve the same mobility."

About Student Veterans of America
With a focused mission on empowering student veterans, Student Veterans of America (SVA) is committed to providing an educational experience that goes beyond the classroom. Through a dedicated network of nearly 1,600 on-campus chapters in all 50 states and 4 countries representing more than 750,000 student veterans, SVA aims to inspire yesterday's warriors by connecting student veterans with a community of like-minded chapter leaders. Every day these passionate leaders work to provide the necessary resources, network support, and advocacy to ensure student veterans can effectively connect, expand their skills, and ultimately achieve their greatest potential. For more information, visit us at www.studentveterans.org.

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