Baytown, Texas recruiter Staff Sgt. Hightower
Recruiter Lands Spot on Magazine Cover
Story and photo by John Thompson, USAREC, Houston Battalion
July 21, 2014
Staff Sgt. Tifani Hightower flawlessly juggled working as an Army recruiter, doing part-time administrative work with a package delivery company and completing a master’s degree while inspiring traditional and non-traditional students with her story.
The Baytown, Texas, recruiter’s ability to take on multiple projects at one time and succeed is what landed her on the cover of Columbia Southern University’s (CSU) program guide.
Officials with CSU, where Hightower earned her master’s, felt Hightower is a good role model for proving to students that it’s possible to take on multiple projects at one time and succeed.
This Army recruiter’s drive to succeed was ingrained in her at a young age by her parents who met at drill sergeant school while serving in the Army. Her father was an instructor, her mother, a student training to become a drill instructor. Together, they put a full-court press on their daughter to influence her into following their lead by becoming a Soldier.
Tifani explored Army service before she graduated high school. She entered into the Army, but when she was accepted to college after taking part in college familiarization programs and earning some scholarship money, she said the Army could wait.
Fast forward four years. Hightower graduated from college while working full-time. But she longed to to fill a space in her life with something meaningful.
As she predicted, the Army – Army Reserve in particular – provided her with a job, which was more like a calling. Not only was she provided with an enlistment bonus, but she was eligible for the student loan repayment program.
Being an Army Reservist meant she could continue working. Even when she was mobilized serving at Fort Gillem, Ga., she shifted her hours to working as a part-time employee.
It was not long before her headstrong nature would once again push her forward. This time it was graduate school at CSU, but she wanted more.
Hightower became enthralled with the Army lifestyle, values and philosophy and wanted to use her passion to make a difference in others’ lives.
“I thought recruiting could be as rewarding as being a drill sergeant,” she said. “My recruiter was phenomenal. What he did for me is what I want to do for the individuals who trust me to enlist them and have some effect to help them change their future.
“Part of the reason I was selected for the university’s awareness campaign was because I am in the military. Columbia Southern University gets students from all over the world who attend school on line. They do have a military population,” she said. “Many students are civilian. So when they see someone like me, they want to hear my story.”
In the last ten years, she has earned a bachelor’s and a master’s degree. She maintains a career in the civilian sector as a top notch personnel specialist. And in the military she finds Soldiers for a new millennium.
“I don’t recruit,” she explained. “My job is to tell you my Army story. I tell you about the Army and its benefits. And the best way to do that is to tell you my Army story. Now if you say, ‘Hey, I want to do it,’ that’s great. That is not necessarily my goal. I will tell you how the Army helped me and I will listen to you tell me what you want. We will see together if what you want will tie into being in the Army.”
She knows about Army benefits as she used the tuition assistance program and student loan repayment program. Hightower knows these programs work.
Tifani recalled talking to one individual and her family, then having them meet her family.
“The potential recruit got a chance to meet [my parents and my brother] and and talk with them. She then met my baby sister and her husband, who are both truck drivers in the Army. They were able to talk to her about their careers. I just wanted her to hear it from people who do the Army jobs. I took that time to go off and talk to her parents.”
Each day, Hightower uses her choices to help others realize their dreams.
Story and photo by John Thompson, USAREC, Houston Battalion
July 21, 2014
Staff Sgt. Tifani Hightower flawlessly juggled working as an Army recruiter, doing part-time administrative work with a package delivery company and completing a master’s degree while inspiring traditional and non-traditional students with her story.
The Baytown, Texas, recruiter’s ability to take on multiple projects at one time and succeed is what landed her on the cover of Columbia Southern University’s (CSU) program guide.
Officials with CSU, where Hightower earned her master’s, felt Hightower is a good role model for proving to students that it’s possible to take on multiple projects at one time and succeed.
This Army recruiter’s drive to succeed was ingrained in her at a young age by her parents who met at drill sergeant school while serving in the Army. Her father was an instructor, her mother, a student training to become a drill instructor. Together, they put a full-court press on their daughter to influence her into following their lead by becoming a Soldier.
Tifani explored Army service before she graduated high school. She entered into the Army, but when she was accepted to college after taking part in college familiarization programs and earning some scholarship money, she said the Army could wait.
Fast forward four years. Hightower graduated from college while working full-time. But she longed to to fill a space in her life with something meaningful.
As she predicted, the Army – Army Reserve in particular – provided her with a job, which was more like a calling. Not only was she provided with an enlistment bonus, but she was eligible for the student loan repayment program.
Being an Army Reservist meant she could continue working. Even when she was mobilized serving at Fort Gillem, Ga., she shifted her hours to working as a part-time employee.
It was not long before her headstrong nature would once again push her forward. This time it was graduate school at CSU, but she wanted more.
Hightower became enthralled with the Army lifestyle, values and philosophy and wanted to use her passion to make a difference in others’ lives.
“I thought recruiting could be as rewarding as being a drill sergeant,” she said. “My recruiter was phenomenal. What he did for me is what I want to do for the individuals who trust me to enlist them and have some effect to help them change their future.
“Part of the reason I was selected for the university’s awareness campaign was because I am in the military. Columbia Southern University gets students from all over the world who attend school on line. They do have a military population,” she said. “Many students are civilian. So when they see someone like me, they want to hear my story.”
In the last ten years, she has earned a bachelor’s and a master’s degree. She maintains a career in the civilian sector as a top notch personnel specialist. And in the military she finds Soldiers for a new millennium.
“I don’t recruit,” she explained. “My job is to tell you my Army story. I tell you about the Army and its benefits. And the best way to do that is to tell you my Army story. Now if you say, ‘Hey, I want to do it,’ that’s great. That is not necessarily my goal. I will tell you how the Army helped me and I will listen to you tell me what you want. We will see together if what you want will tie into being in the Army.”
She knows about Army benefits as she used the tuition assistance program and student loan repayment program. Hightower knows these programs work.
Tifani recalled talking to one individual and her family, then having them meet her family.
“The potential recruit got a chance to meet [my parents and my brother] and and talk with them. She then met my baby sister and her husband, who are both truck drivers in the Army. They were able to talk to her about their careers. I just wanted her to hear it from people who do the Army jobs. I took that time to go off and talk to her parents.”
Each day, Hightower uses her choices to help others realize their dreams.