Joanna Sweatt was a Marine Corps bulldog for nine years. Now, as ASU’s military advocate, she is sinking her teeth into making sure ASU’s student-veterans have all the help they need.
Jim Carlen, ASU's certifying official at ASU West, said Sweatt is knowledgeable and will bend over backward to help anyone out.
"She’s willing to lend a hand to help out anybody — she’s just a dynamite person,” he said.
As the military advocate for ASU Sweatt is the overall ombudsman to current and prospective armed services students and dependents, according to ASU’s veteran Web page.
She provides consultation, guidance, referral and advocacy services for active and veteran members of the military, along with helping students and prospective students navigate the various services provided by ASU, the Department of Veteran Affairs and other agencies.
Sweatt’s military experience, transition into civilian life and time as a student at ASU give her a unique perspective and opportunity to help students in a similar situation.
Sweatt served in the Marine Corps from 1998 to 2007. She enlisted as a field radio operator and deployed to Iraq in that capacity from January to May 2003.
During her deployment, she was part of the initial invasion in Iraq.
“I remember being on the base we built before we advanced and watching Scud missiles come and Patriot missiles take off, thinking, ‘This is the life that I’m living.’ … It was crazy,” Sweatt said.
After returning from the deployment, Sweatt became a recruiter in Denver where she was promoted to Staff Sergeant meritoriously. She was honorably discharged from the Marine Corps in 2007 and moved to Chandler.
When Sweatt enrolled at ASU, there was no Pat Tillman Veterans Center and no veterans clubs that she was aware of at the time. A friend’s help was the only assistance she received while figuring out financial aid and the grants she was eligible for.
Sweatt viewed her undergraduate experience as an opportunity to get a degree so she could get a job. There wasn’t a veteran community to engage her, be involved in or ensure her success.
“Now we ask if you are a veteran on the application so we can identify the population and reach out immediately,” Sweatt said.
In July of 2012, she was hired as the military advocate for the newly unveiled Pat Tillman Veterans Center. In 2015, Sweatt marked the fourth year she provided guidance for student veterans.
“I’m here to help you be the best person that you can be, (and) if that involves ASU, great," Sweatt said. "If not, I don’t care, I’ll still help you, and that’s the difference with the Pat Tillman Veterans Center model — we care about the best interest of every vet and military member that we deal with."
Sweatt sees continued growth for the Tillman Center in years to come. She believes that helping veterans adjust, transition and getting them involved in research with the Office of Veteran and Military Academic Engagement will show the greater academic community what veterans and members of the military have to offer.
“What I really love about President Crow’s vision and everyone here that supports veterans, is that they recognize how valuable we are and they want to turn us into an asset, I think that is phenomenal, and in 10 years I see us firing on all cylinders.” Sweatt said.
Sweatt recently finished her tenure as president of the ASU Alumni Association Veterans Chapter, she is a board member for Arizona’s Veterans Court Mentor Project, on the Tempe Veterans Commission and on the Marine Corps Scholarship Scarlet and Gold committee.
The hard work by Sweatt and others at the Tillman Center has been recognized by local media, veterans and alumni alike.
“They were very responsive and I was always able to find the appropriate person to contact. They are really good about sending out info emails, and I would usually get my answers pretty quickly,” Marine Corps veteran alumnus Casey Bohl said.
Reach the reporter at Preston.Scott-Hall@asu.edu or follow @sgt_preston on Twitter.
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