Mr. Robert A. Murphy is a graduate of the Darla Moore School of Business at University of South Carolina, with a Master of Business Administration, Bachelor of Science Business Administration, and a Minor in Professional Writing.

Mr. Murphy served over 30 years in a myriad of international, national, and community-based positions. He is a military veteran with zeal, passion of quality leadership and team success, and is highly regarded as an expert in community relations, military veteran community reintegration, team building, and results-based leadership.

Robert was born in Upstate New York, loves the Adirondack Mountains, and misses the “feet” of snow that comes with living in Upstate New York.

Prior to joining the USC Aiken Team, Mr. Murphy served on Capitol Hill as the Director, United Stated Capitol Police Special Operations Unit protecting Congress from Weapons of Mass Destruction threats. Before his time on the Hill, Robert completed over 20 years of honorable service as a United States Marine Corps Chief Warrant Officer-4. He held the position of Immediate Response Force Executive Officer and Operations Officer assigned to 4th Marine Expeditionary Force Anti-Terrorism. Mr. Murphy led Marines in both national and international operations participating in Operations Enduring Freedom and Noble Eagle.

In his current position, he established the Office of Veteran and Military Student Success, which has seen a 116% enrollment increase, and a rapid increase in retention, progression, and graduation rates. Among several other prestigious awards, Military Times ranks USC Aiken as the #1 Best for Vets Universities in South Carolina. Mr. Murphy’s veteran and military student success practices are often cited as a national model for holistic reintegration and success services through collaborative community partnerships.

Mr. Murphy is also an Adjunct Professor in the University School of Business Administration. He loves the two courses he teaches: Principles of Management and Leadership, and Social, Ethical and Legal Aspects of Business. He is motivated to invest in the lives of students who aspire to realize their full leadership potential.

Robert’s community involvement includes being on the Board of Director’s for the Saratoga Warhorse Foundation. Saratoga WarHorse offers veterans a three-day experience that has proven to be effective and invaluable for those struggling to adjust to life after military service. The program is provided at no cost to the veterans.

Robert is proud to mention, he completed all of his formal education optimizing his Post 9/11 GI BILL®.

Tristan Stone graduated from the University of South Carolina Aiken with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. Originally from Bel Air, Maryland, he moved to the CSRA to pursue his degree and has since placed his roots in Aiken, South Carolina.

He remains involved with his community by serving as an advisor to his local fraternity and participating in both local and national philanthropic campaigns.

He currently serves the Office of Veteran and Military Student Success as VMSS Program Coordinator and the School Certifying Official for Veteran and Military Student benefits. As a veteran, he has an affinity for the veteran and military community. He is very excited to be able to help USC Aiken students and be a part of Team VMSS.

Mr. Stone is currently pursuing his Master of Business Administration from the Darla Moore School of Business at the University of South Carolina.

Miche’le Coleman is a junior pursuing her Bachelor of Arts degree in Elementary Education. She was born and raised in Rancho Cucamonga, California. She joined the military at 24, older than most. She enjoyed her time stationed in Hawaii at Schofield barracks. During her military career, she worked as a cook in the Dfac. Even though being a cook was her job title, she did everything she could to benefit the rest of her unit. She learned how to manage the kitchen, schedule briefings, and took charge when things started to change course. She is dedicated to her moral code and understands that everyone needs a little extra push to reach their purpose in life. She is grateful for her experiences in the military.

She loves giving back to her community and volunteering to help homeless children and veterans. She feels her purpose in life is to be the light in dark situations and give love and support to all people. Completing her degree and advancing into the world as an educator is a desire of hers. She also plans to continue her education with a master's degree in guidance counseling, so she is able to work with middle and high school aged children.

She looks forward to continuing her leadership skills and soaking in as much knowledge she can from the VMSS team!

“Don’t take wooden nickels, you can’t spend them.” -Samuel Twitty

Ms. Kaitlyn Baxa is a freshman and pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education.

Kaitlyn was born in Slippery Rock, PA, but has been a South Carolina resident since she was the age of 4. Kaitlyn has always been one to give back to community and serve as a leader within her community and her school. Throughout middle and high school, she was captain of her cheerleading teams. While in high school, she became a part of FFA, culinary, volunteered with Helping Hands on Fort Jackson, and was captain of her bowling team. Kaitlyn is also a proud daughter of an Army Veteran of 29 years. Like her sister, she was raised on a set of moral and ethical values taught by her father.

With this in mind, Kaitlyn strived to be a part of the USCA community from the time she has arrived. She has joined the sorority Alpha Omicron Pi and has taken over the leadership positon of VP of administration and recording secretary. She became a part of the VMSS team in the Spring of 2019.

Once she graduates, Kaitlyn plans to pursue her dream of teaching kids so that she may have a part in molding the minds of the next generation.

Brandon Hill was born and raised in Beech Island, SC. He graduated from the University of South Carolina Aiken with a Bachelor’s of Arts in Psychology and Minor in Educational Studies. Brandon is currently enrolled at the University of South Carolina Aiken in the Applied Clinical Psychology Masters Program.

Brandon currently works as a Veteran Transition Success Advocate for the Office of Veteran and Military Student Success through a graduate student assistantship at UofSC Aiken. Within this role, he speaks with military affiliated students on a one-on-one basis to ensure they are experiencing a smooth transition to higher education. He meets with military affiliated students to discuss various topics such as, study skills, time-management or even to simply provide a safe space to talk. His goal is to assist all military affiliated students by helping them reach their career, educational, and life goals.

After graduation, Brandon intends to continue his education by pursuing a PhD and become a licensed professional mental health counselor.

Jason Fallaw is from the small town of Monetta, SC but was born in Augusta, GA. He graduated from University of South Carolina Aiken with a Bachelor’s of Science in Psychology. Jason is currently enrolled at the USC Aiken in the Applied Clinical Psychology Master’s Program.

Jason’s father served in the Marines, and Jason followed his footsteps and joined the Marines in August of 2018. He is also enrolled in the Army ROTC program on campus and plans to commission in the Army in 2023. Jason intends on becoming a clinical psychologist, specializing in PTSD treatment.

Jason wants everyone to know how dedicated each member of this team is to both Veterans and military family members. Every meeting is centered on improving these individuals’ lives both directly and indirectly. Constantly brainstorming, and trying to come up with new and improved ideas on how to involve every member of our cohort. Jason realized how important it is to provide a sense of belonging to the cohort, and he strives to do exactly that.

Jason does not have one particular thing that he enjoys doing in his free time, but more so a bunch of different interests. He enjoys trying new food from new places, discovering new hiking/walking trails, and occasionally playing video games. He has an insatiable sense of discovery, so anything that can scratch that itch has his interest.

Adam is currently a sophomore pursuing a Bachelor of Applied Computer Science with a concentration in Cyber Security at UofSC Aiken. He is excited to be part of the VMSS team as a Student Success Advocate in support of fellow veterans.

Adam was born in California but moved around frequently due to his father being in the Navy – growing up in Maine, Virginia, Illinois and Florida. After high school and a brief stint in college at Pensacola State, Adam joined the US Air Force and served at Tinker AFB OK, Daegu South Korea, Eglin AFB FL, and went on several deployments in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

After departing the USAF, Adam worked for several years as a Defense Contractor in the Middle East – primarily in Iraq and Afghanistan. He then moved to Southeast Asia and spent a few years travelling with his wife. Now, back in the US after more than 10 years abroad, he is focused on completing his current degree and finding employment in the CSRA region.

Samantha Taylor is a sophomore pursuing a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Creative Writing, is the Student Media Senator in the Student Government Association, and is excited to be a part of The VMSS Team. An Army Spouse and Veteran herself, Samantha currently holds an Associates of Science in Information Technology.

Born in Barstow, California, Samantha grew up mainly in Durango, Colorado. She started off on The VMSS Team as a volunteer and has now been welcomed as a full-fledged team member. She is dedicated to helping her fellow Veterans and Military Pacers achieve their academic goals through her work at the VMSS.

She knows that being a part of a military community can sometimes be difficult, and that is why she advocates for comradery within the Military Pacer Community. She enjoys reading and writing poetry in her spare time. After graduation she plans on becoming a freelance writer, to enable her to travel.

Shamiya Pringle is currently a junior pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in Management at the University of South Carolina Aiken.

Shamiya was born and raised in Georgetown, SC. She enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in September 2019 and this opportunity has offered many traveling experiences that she enjoys every minute of. Around campus you can find Shamiya promoting Pacer Pride and dedicating her time to a variety of student organizations she is involved in, such as the Rotaract Club, C.U.R.L.S, and Pacer Union Board (PUB). She also serves as an admissions ambassador to incoming students. In her free time, Shamiya enjoys traveling, exploring new places and trying new food. Shamiya has many places on her bucket list to visit, but her number 1 spot is Thailand to swim with the elephants!

Knowing how difficult it can be at times to juggle military life and student life, Shamiya was inspired to join the VMSS team to support and encourage students along their educational journey through the university and onto their prospective career paths. Shamiya is delighted to be a part of the VMSS team and looks forward to working with you all.

Marcus is a transfer sophomore student at the University of South Carolina Aiken, seeking a degree in Exercise and Sports Science. He wants to one day becoming a Physical Therapist and aid people on their road to recovery so they can get back to the lives they want to live.

Born in Goldsboro, North Carolina, but raised in South Carolina, this remarkable young man has always been focused on making a difference and helping those in need since his days of volunteer work at church. Some of the community work he did in high school for JROTC involved providing water for marathon runners or picking up trash on the roads. This young man has always sought to be a pillar of community.

Once he graduates, Marcus intends to pursue a career in Physical Therapy, along with pursuing a Master's Degree in Psychology because he believes that in order to heal the body you must heal the mind.