Life is full of points at which you can choose to take one path or another. Either way, you’ll be set in a very different direction. For many people, these crossroads can be full of trepidation or regret. For Jasmeane Brock JDi’24, key decision points have been opportunities to set a dedicated path and not look back.
Taking this steadfast approach to decision-making is how Brock found her way to the College of Law’s JDinteractive (JDi) program. It’s also how she decided to join the Army. Together, Brock’s confident choices are adding up to a consistent purpose.
Growing up as a military child in Louisiana, Brock experienced the military as a foundation that opened the door for her family to live a relatively comfortable life. Her father served in the Army, and she also has many family members with military service. Though she wanted to serve in the Army—and was always very specific about it being the Army—and further her education, Brock wasn’t quite ready to join right after high school. Instead, she earned an undergraduate degree at Louisiana State University in 2008.
Still, the prospect of joining the Army stayed with her.
Brock felt unfulfilled and didn’t have a plan about what she wanted to do with her sociology degree. She believed that the Army could give her more direction and create new opportunities. She also wanted a better life for her son, who was four years old.
“I thought, I’m either going to do it now or I’m going to move on and not worry about it,” she says. “I knew I wanted to go, and I knew it would be better.”
That’s when Brock learned about some little-known policies that most military branches have about single parents who want to serve. She had to navigate and overcome a set of legal hurdles to stay in after completing her initial training. She also learned that the policies aren’t always clear or equally applied, which often creates a disparate impact on women.
“Until I experienced it, I had no idea,” she says.