Janqueray “Jae” Williams, originally from the Southside of Chicago, enlisted into the U.S. Army as a Financial Management Technician (36B) in 2013. Jae attended basic training in Fort Sill, Oklahoma and proceeded to Advanced Individual Training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina. Jae served for four years, all while overseas with her first year stationed in Camp Humphreys, South Korea and three years stationed in Kaiserslautern, Germany. Jae’s experience traveling the world while serving her country as a Finance soldier allowed her to have a broader perspective on people’s cultures and contributed to a continuous but grander need for Jae to serve her country – in her new role as a future social worker.
After retiring from the Army, during which she obtained her associate degree in liberal arts from the University of Maryland University College, Jae transferred to California State University during the pandemic after being accepted into the Bachelor of Social Work program. Along with serving as a peer mentor for the Veterans Resource Center, Jae is also serves as the Black Student Union President, a R.I.S.E peer mentor, serves as Treasurer for the Halisi Majorette Team, a Behavioral Therapist, and a member of Zeta Phi Beta, Sorority, Incorporated.
Upon graduating May 2024, Jae plans to pursue her master’s degree in social work from CSU Long Beach before becoming a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. Jae’s goal is to work with Veterans and ultimately create a program that helps soldiers transition from active-duty status with the help of assigned social workers within each branch of service.