Dragons Who Serve: Tiarra Veazie

Tiarra Veazie, 88M Motor Transport Operator in the Minnesota Army National Guard, knew at a young age she wanted to join the military. "I knew it would help me to empower and better myself," she says. "I knew it was just something I wanted to do."

Her grandmother served in the Navy, and other relatives were in the Army and Marines. "There was a lot of family influence that helped me decide," she says. Tiarra joined the Minnesota Army National Guard at 17.

Many young women venturing out into the world face outdated perceptions and gender stereotypes, such as not being seen as not as capable as men. Tiarra quickly encountered gender stereotypes in the military. The Army National Guard is made up of approximately 78% males and 21% females, according to the 2023 Demographics, Interactive Profile of the Military Community.

BA in Criminal Justice

"When I was initially signing my contact, I had to pick a job," Tiarra says, "I was specifically told to not pick anything to do with combat, because the males could get distracted by having females in their line of work." So, she became an 88M, Motor Transport Operator, more commonly known as a truck driver.

Tiarra says she also would receive comments related to her age, like, "you're still strong and healthy, you got this." "I struggle with some things myself," Tiarra says, "just because I'm young (doesn't mean) I don't have my own issues."

During a challenging first fitness test in bootcamp, she knew in order to succeed she had to push herself through her own mental barriers. "I proved to myself that by pushing through my own boundaries I was able to do so much more than I thought I could," she says. "Once you push through that, bootcamp and AIT (advanced individual training) is a lot easier than you think it is."

After finishing bootcamp and AIT, Tiarra returned to the area to attend college at Minnesota State University Moorhead, majoring in criminal justice with a minor in psychology.

"It (MSU Moorhead) was actually the only college I had visited," she says, "I had been to campus many times for events, and this environment just felt right. It's very open and inclusive."

Living on-campus created the ideal college experience for Tiarra. She has become best friends with roommates and is able to create the community of support that best fits her. "There's so many resources here," she says, "so, I know if I truly needed help, I could find it at MSUM."

Looking back on her journey so far, Tiarra realizes she is stronger than she gave herself credit for. Her experiences as a young female in the military and as a college student have taught her to push through the mental boundaries.

"Once you do that, you're good."

YRAdvance: Yellow Ribbon Advance is funded by the US Department of Education, as a Congressionally Directed Spending Award of $2.25 million dollars. Award # P116Z230319. The project contents; however, do not necessarily represent the policy of the Department of Education, and the reader should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government.