For most transfer students, arriving at a new university means learning to navigate unfamiliar classrooms, making new friends and finding ways to connect with an already established campus community.
For Michigan State University students Sarah Elshaw and Kevin Jones, that transition became an opportunity for leadership, service and representing MSU on a national stage.
This spring, Elshaw and Jones represented MSU at the Transfer Student Leadership Summit, a national virtual event hosted by the University of Texas at Austin that brought together transfer students, faculty and staff from colleges and universities across the country to discuss the transfer experience, share best practices and highlight programs that support transfer student success.
Representing Michigan State
Selected by the Michigan State University Transfer Student Success Center because of their leadership and involvement supporting fellow transfer students, Elshaw and Jones were chosen to represent MSU at the national summit.
Elshaw serves on the Transfer Student Advisory Board (TSAB), which provides student feedback to help improve the transfer experience and strengthen student support across campus. Jones is involved with both TSAB and the Transfer Experience Mentorship Program (TEMPO), where peer mentors help new transfer students navigate campus resources, build connections and successfully transition to life at MSU.
Their leadership, campus involvement and commitment to supporting fellow transfer students made them ideal representatives for Michigan State at the national summit.
During the summit, Elshaw and Jones presented alongside one another, sharing their personal transfer journeys while highlighting the campus resources, mentoring opportunities and student organizations that helped them successfully transition to Michigan State. Their goal was to provide practical guidance while helping future transfer students see themselves thriving at MSU.
"To me, the Transfer Student Leadership Summit is an opportunity for transfer students, faculty and staff to get educated about the transfer experience while also offering services and resources that we have as transfer students," Jones said.
For Elshaw, working alongside another transfer student throughout the presentation reinforced the value of sharing different perspectives.
"It was nice to be able to learn about someone else’s transfer experience,” Elshaw said. "Because everyone has a different story."
Preparing for the Summit
Preparing for the summit gave both students the opportunity to collaborate while combining their unique experiences into a single presentation.
"We collaborated by divvying the slides up half and half," Jones said. "We split up the resources that we wanted to talk about."
Their presentation included introductions, their individual transfer journeys, and an overview of the campus resources, mentoring opportunities and student organizations that helped them successfully transition to Michigan State.
Working together also allowed the pair to show attendees that no two transfer experiences are exactly alike.
"There were a lot of people," Elshaw said. "Giving a presentation via Zoom is a lot different than doing a presentation in person."
Jones focused on making sure prospective transfer students walked away with clear and useful information.
"I wanted to make sure I had a clear presentation and that I was able to relay the right amount of information for anyone who was looking to transfer," he said.
Finding their place at MSU
Both students arrived at Michigan State looking for new opportunities but quickly found a sense of community by getting involved on campus.
Elshaw transferred to MSU to pursue a degree in animal science after realizing it was better aligned with her lifelong passion for working with animals.
"I instantly fell in love," she said. “I came and visited Michigan State and knew this is where I wanted to be.”
Even before arriving on campus, Elshaw applied to join the Transfer Student Advisory Board and quickly became involved in campus organizations after transferring to Michigan State.
“One thing I recommend is to get involved,” she said. “Because it definitely helps.”
Today, Elshaw serves as president of Alpha Lambda Delta, a reactivated honor society at MSU, while continuing to represent transfer students through leadership opportunities across campus.
Jones transferred from Oakland Community College to pursue a degree in supply chain management and become involved in campus life.
“I always knew that I wanted to be a Spartan,” said Jones, a senior majoring in supply chain management. “I wanted to be part of something bigger and make an impact on campus.”
After transferring, he became involved in student organizations, worked as a new student orientation intern and found opportunities to support fellow transfer students. His involvement continues through TSAB and TEMPO, where he helps new transfer students build connections and navigate campus life.
Leading the way
"Sarah and Kevin represent the kind of leadership we hope every transfer student discovers at Michigan State," said Charles Jackson, director of MSU's Transfer Student Success Center. "They embraced opportunities to get involved, built meaningful connections and are now helping other students navigate the same transition they once experienced. Their participation in the Transfer Student Leadership Summit reflects what's possible when students are connected to the right resources and empowered to lead.”
Although class schedules and presentation responsibilities limited the number of additional summit sessions they could attend, both students said they still gained valuable perspectives from the experience. Elshaw appreciated learning how colleges and universities across the country support transfer students, reinforcing the importance of continuing to strengthen transfer student success at Michigan State.
For Jones, one of the most rewarding parts of the experience was sharing the many resources available to transfer students at MSU.
"MSU has so many resources for transfer students," Jones said. "Being able to tell people about those services and mentoring programs made me feel good."
Both students hope participating in the summit encourages future transfer students to take advantage of the opportunities available to them and become involved early in their time at Michigan State.
For Jones, the experience reinforced what it means to be a transfer student.
"Being a transfer student means being adaptable and being open-minded," he said. "I didn't really know this place, but I was willing to figure it out."
Elshaw hopes future transfer students remember they are not alone.
"Everyone's nervous," she said. "But when you put yourself out there, you're going to realize that everyone else is feeling the same way, and you're going to make friends that you'll have for the rest of your life."
By sharing their experiences and encouraging others to get involved, Elshaw and Jones hope more transfer students will see Michigan State as a place where they can build connections, discover opportunities and become leaders themselves.
