Southern Wesleyan graduate earns Air Force kudos
Col. Tonya Hagmaier has built a distinguished military career as a judge advocate general (JAG) and feels that Southern Wesleyan University had a hand in her success.
Recently, Tonya Hagmaier was named the Air Force’s Outstanding Senior Attorney of the Year. She was also named Andersen Air Force Base’s Federal Woman of the Year for 2000 and Pacific Air Force’s Senior Attorney of the Year for 2002.
Growing up in Alabama as part of a Wesleyan family, Hagmaier learned about Southern Wesleyan University and planned to attend. She knew she wanted to go to a Christian institution and Southern Wesleyan’s size appeared to be a good fit.
“It was important to me to be taught with a Christian worldview, and once I was there, it was obvious that my professors cared about their students,” Hagmaier said. She remembered how helpful her professors were, many of whom became like family.
Hagmaier graduated from Southern Wesleyan summa cum laude in English and history, and went on to earn a law degree from the University of Alabama. She said her education and spiritual growth at Southern Wesleyan helped her in her military career.
“Integrity is the first of the Air Force’s core values and it is key to service as an officer and a judge advocate. My liberal arts training, especially double-majoring in English and history, gave me a vast general knowledge that developed my rational thought and focused me on applying integrity to my education and my work,” Hagmaier said. “The spiritual training helped me mature in my Christian world view, and trained me to apply integrity to everything I do. I am a better officer and lawyer for having both.”