News Article

Edison State College Spurred Air Force Veteran to Start New Career to Change Lives

May 2, 2014

May 1, 2014 – FORT MYERS, FLA. – The 2014 Edison State College Graduation will be a historic event for the institution as it will be the last graduation under Edison State College. Starting on July 1, the institution will start operating as Florida SouthWestern State College (FSW).

Many graduates will be celebrating this event, and one of those individuals is United State Air Force veteran, Tiffany Jones, who will receive a degree in Elementary Education. Jones served five years in the Air Force, working in Computer Information Technology. She was stationed overseas in Mildenhall, England for three years before returning to the United State to serve at Tyndall Air Force Base in Panama City Florida. In January of 2007, her father decided to make a change and move to Florida, so together, along with the help of her grandparents, they moved to Fort Myers. Jones worked with local companies in technology providing computer tech support.

“I enjoyed what I had done in the service, but realized I wanted to do more,” said Jones. “One day while driving around, I saw Edison State College, and decided to check it out.”

Jones met with an advisor that day and signed up for the nursing program on campus. It seemed like the right fit, as her mother was a nurse and both grandmothers were nurses during war times. After a few classes, she met the man who would become her husband, and sadly not long after meeting they mourned the passing of her mother. After two years together, they discovered that they were expecting, and she decided then that she wanted to do something different.

“I wanted to be involved in the process of life. I wanted to take charge and use my ambition, personality and influence to make a difference in the lives of others,” said Jones. “I thought, what better way to impact lives than with the educational process, especially when my daughter would be part of that in a few years."

Jones also states, “That the School of Education at Edison was amazing, and offered a solid foundation of life for me and my family. The faculty and staff at Edison in this area really helped me find out who I wanted to be in life and provided the incentive to achieve my dreams of teaching others.”

Celebrating over 50 years of excellence, Edison State College is Southwest Florida’s largest, most accessible and ranked nationally as one of the most affordable institutions of higher education. Serving more than 22,000 students per year regionally, nationally, and internationally, students are also active in a wide variety of clubs and programs that cater to their interests. Nationally, Edison State is ranked 45th among associate degree producers and 26th for its prestigious associate producing Nursing program. For more information please visit www.edison.edu.

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Last Updated: May 2, 2014