Jaylyn Long ’24 thought she’d made it to her most magical Mary Washington moment this past May – graduation! But Dean of Students Melissa Jones had a secret to share. As she straightened the soon-to-be grad’s regalia on that sunny Saturday morning, she asked a question: “Have you checked your email?”
“I was thinking, ‘no, of course not, I’m graduating,’ ” said Long, last year’s SGA president and Class of 2024 vice president, who spent her college career digging deeper and deeper into student affairs. Now, as she peered at her phone, just before crossing the stage at Commencement, she saw a message that brought her to tears. She’d won the Undergraduate Rising Star Award from NASPA, the national organization for the field of student affairs in higher education. Better yet, the people behind it were the Mary Washington administrators she most admired.
“This award is a reflection of the mentorship that these three phenomenal women have poured into me as a student leader,” Long said of Jones, Vice President for Student Affairs Juliette Landphair and Associate Provost for Equity and Inclusion Shavonne Shorter, who each penned a nomination letter to NASPA on Long’s behalf. “I felt like all the work I had done over my four years at Mary Wash was truly complete.”
She picked up the prize in person last month at the NASPA Region III Summer Symposium in Orlando. It gave her, she said, access to pros in the field, networking opportunities and inspiration. She’ll head to Boston College this fall to pursue a master’s degree in higher education administration.
When Long arrived at UMW in 2020, Covid was doing its best to shut down social life, but she plunged in anyway, landing first-year posts as SGA senator and chair of the Diversity Unity Coordinating Committee. She worked as a resident assistant, diversity peer educator, R.I.S.E peer mentor, and senior student coordinator for both New Student Programs and Student Activities and Engagement, all while majoring in biomedical sciences.
As she gained ground, she held onto her major, but her career focus started to shift. “She decided to pursue student affairs, which has thrilled the faculty and staff who work with her,” Landphair wrote in her letter to NASPA. “We know that both our field and higher education will be made better by Jaylyn’s professional commitments and work.”
By senior year, she’d switched minors, from chemistry to African American studies, and become the first Black woman to serve in the roles of SGA president and vice president at UMW. Among her major Mary Washington achievements, all three administrators said, was the spring 2023 launch of ASPIRE Week, a six-day celebration to revive and reinforce campus values.
“I was just blown away,” Shorter said of Long’s work on the event, which is quickly becoming an annual tradition. “I watched her bring together a community to get this done. She had people from all across campus take ownership of each day and help plan it out.”
In their nominations, the administrators praised Long’s ability to think strategically, build partnerships and execute her vision. They described her as compassionate, visionary and committed to understanding and representing the student voice.
Now completing an internship in risk assessment in banking and recently appointed to UMW’s Young Alumni Council, Long said she hopes eventually to use her passion for student affairs not just for creating a better college experience but for influencing the policies that shape it.
“Combined with her natural leadership skills, Jaylyn’s kindness and intelligence will see her shoot to the top of our profession one day,” Landphair wrote. “She is indeed a rising star.”
Read more about Jaylyn Long ’24 and her UMW journey: UMW SGA President Finds Passion in Student Engagement
Read about UMW President Troy Paino’s recent NASPA award: UMW President Troy Paino Wins National Award for Student-Centered Work
