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By Adele Williams, Student Contributor

Jacob Campbell 2Alice Lloyd College sophomore Jacob Campbell is the epitome of a selfless servant, a value also shared by our founder, Alice Lloyd. Jacob, from McRoberts, Kentucky, is working hard to earn his degree in Physical Education K-12 while serving his country as a member of the Marine Corps Reserves.

Jacob graduated from Jenkins High School in the spring of 2013 and began attending Alice Lloyd College the following fall. Jacob had friends that attended Alice Lloyd College and talked about how the loved the campus atmosphere.  Upon visiting Alice Lloyd College, he said, “I really liked it. It’s a small town environment, so when I got here it was just like being at home.” 

As a part of the Appalachian Leaders College Scholarship, which guarantees the cost of tuition for students originating from our 108 county service area, Jacob’s work study entails daily garbage runs for the grounds crew. Being a member of the grounds crew means doing the jobs that others don’t really want to do. ALC’s grounds crew work diligently to keep campus clean. Alice Lloyd engrained the importance of a strong work ethic to students since the inception of the College. Jacob is the perfect example of how Mrs. Lloyd’s teachings are still practiced today. In addition to this, Jacob is able to find time in his busy schedule to volunteer at food shelters with his mom.

Jacob decided to become a Physical Education major because of his love for athletics and the desire to be a mentor for our future leaders. Jacob says, “I want to coach basketball, but I’m also really good with kids.” But, Jacob also had another dream. “I was always fascinated by the army as a kid.” Jacob says he had always wanted to join the marines, but had always put his education first and because of this he had never felt that the moment was right. He finally decided to go talk to a recruiter and check out his options. He found out that not only would he be able to continue his education while becoming a marine, but that the Marine Corps would financially assist him through the process.

After spending only one year at ALC, Jacob left to begin his training on July 14th of 2014. “I went to Paris Island to train for three months and then I got to go home for ten days to visit with my family. Then I was sent to Jacksonville, North Carolina, to finish my training for three more months. So, I was gone for six months and missed a semester.” While there, Jacob was designated a team leader in boot camp, leading a fire squad through combat training. Jacob signed up for a contract of “6×2” which means that he will be a member of the Marine Corps for eight years. “I’ll probably do another term after that because I really like it though.”

Jacob goes on to say that he can find many similarities between the Marines and ALC. “The professionalism that both promote strikes me.” Alice Lloyd College requires all full time students to dress professionally every Tuesday or when attending a convocation. “We have a professional dress day in the Marines, too. On Fridays we have to dress a certain way according to the season.” He says the rules and expectations of students also reminds him of the marines in the sense that they both work to build a well-rounded individual with strong morals and values.  

Jacob Campbell 1

However, there are differences as well and this sometimes creates a problem for Jacob. “In the Marines, we learn by what we call “prac-app.” The idea is that you just go and do it, and that you will learn from the experience.” This is far different from the class room. “It’s different. It’s hard, going from being a marine full-time to a student. I’m used to running around doing stuff all the time, then at ALC I go to class and sit down while I try to retain all of this information. I have to sit down and force myself to focus.” Jacob says that it’s a hard transition, but that his professors have been very supportive and helpful along the way.

In addition to the support of his professors, Jacob says that he loves the intimacy of the campus. This was only reinforced by his experience in Jacksonville, North Carolina where he says, “There are a lot of people, and they just weren’t as friendly. I’m used to being here where you can just walk down the street and strike up a conversation with anybody.”

Jacob is scheduled to be deployed in the summer of 2015, but intends to pick up his education at ALC again as soon as he returns home. He has plans to coach basketball and perhaps teach history. For now, he is focusing on his grades and hoping that his deployment will land him in Europe.

We are wishing Jacob safe and happy travels as he continues to serve the United States of America.