By Dr. Jessica Henlon, Education Contributor | Florida National News

Belonging Makes the Difference
When students feel a sense of connection to their peers, instructors, and the institution, they are more likely to stay enrolled, participate actively, and develop leadership capacity. Marraccini and Brier (2017) found that strong school connectedness correlates with fewer symptoms of depression and anxiety, reinforcing its role in both academic persistence and emotional well-being. Even when content is well-designed, students are less likely to succeed if they feel isolated from their peers. Belonging creates the foundation for meaningful engagement.

Source” Aldi

Who Are Military-Connected Students?
Military-connected students include veterans, active-duty service members, National Guard members, Reservists, ROTC cadets, and the dependents or spouses of military personnel. Many are adult learners managing work, family responsibilities, and the transition from military to academic culture (Ackerman et al., 2009).

These students often bring leadership experience and maturity to campus, yet they may face challenges related to reintegration, invisible injuries, or feeling disconnected from younger peers. Some veterans choose not to disclose their status due to stigma or fear of being misunderstood (Vacchi, 2012). Environments that recognize their contributions and offer targeted support foster stronger academic and social outcomes.

Who Are First-Generation College Students?
First-generation college students (FGCS) are defined as those whose parents or guardians did not earn a bachelor’s degree (Chang et al., 2020; Phillips et al., 2020). These students frequently navigate academic environments without the benefit of parental experience, often managing cultural unfamiliarity, financial pressures, and self-doubt.

Belonging gives FGCS the encouragement and context they need to see themselves as capable and deserving of success. This sense of connection helps them persist through obstacles and build confidence in their academic identities.

What the Research Reveals
Research consistently shows that both military-connected and first-generation students benefit from intentional support structures that promote a sense of belonging.

• Albright et al. (2020) demonstrated that student veterans who participated in community and civic service activities reported higher levels of well-being. Kinney, Nigliazzo, and Porter (2020) emphasized the importance of services that validate veterans’ identities and provide flexible, personalized support.
• Lewis and Gloria (2025) examined the role of instructor recognition, referred to as “instructor mattering,” in shaping the college experiences of student veterans. In a study of 104 student service members and veterans, they found that when students felt their instructors recognized and valued them, their sense of well-being and belonging increased. This perception also improved engagement and motivation across academic settings.
• First-generation students report similar patterns. In my study of online FGCS (Henlon, 2025), participants reported that virtual extracurricular activities, such as peer panels, alumni sessions, and informal group chats, helped them feel more engaged, confident, and academically connected. They described these spaces as places where they were seen, supported, and invited to participate fully.
• Fong et al. (2024) provided further insight through a review that linked belonging to GPA, graduation rates, and persistence. They found that these benefits were especially significant for students from marginalized backgrounds, including racially minoritized students and women in STEM fields.

The Psychology Behind Belonging
Self-Determination Theory (Deci & Ryan, 2000) outlines three core needs that fuel motivation: autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Relatedness, or the feeling of meaningful connection to others, supports motivation, focus, and emotional resilience.

Students who feel they matter are more likely to persist through challenges. A culture that supports relatedness leads to stronger academic outcomes, improved retention, and more confident learners.

Designing for Connection
Creating a campus culture of belonging requires more than program offerings. It requires institutional commitment to inclusion, visibility, and sustained outreach. Here are several strategies supported by research and practice:

• Tailored welcome programs: Offer targeted orientation sessions for military-connected and first-generation students. These spaces create early access to networks and role models who share their experiences.
• Proactive mentorship systems: Pair students with faculty, staff, or peer mentors who offer consistent support and understand their context.
• Peer communities and learning cohorts: Facilitate learning communities and student organizations that provide safe spaces for shared identity and mutual support, fostering a sense of belonging and community.
• Visible storytelling: Regularly feature stories and achievements of military-connected and first-gen students in campus communications and events.
• Accessible leadership roles: Offer meaningful opportunities for service and leadership that match students’ skills and availability, building community and confidence.

Moving Forward
Faculty, administrators, and staff can ask themselves:

• Do students see themselves reflected in campus culture?
• Are there clearly mapped paths to connection and contribution?

Motivation and persistence thrive in environments where students feel known, valued, and included. By investing in belonging, institutions support students in becoming engaged scholars and capable leaders.

Call to Action: Build with Dr. Jessica Henlon

If your institution, team, or organization is ready to deepen belonging and empower underserved students, let’s work together.

Whether you need a keynote speaker, student engagement strategy, or first-gen program design, I offer:

• A Fractional Chief Operating Officer (COO)
• Research-based consulting
• Custom workshops and retreats
• Online learning and co-curricular design
• Leadership training and storytelling activation

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About the Author: Dr. Jessica Henlon holds a Ph.D. in Psychology with a specialization in Education. She is an Education Contributor for Florida National News. Dr. Henlon can be reached at Education@FloridaNationalNews.com or book.jessicahenlon@gmail.com.

By Dr. Jessica Henlon, Education Contributor | Florida National News

In any professional setting, whether proposing a new initiative, mentoring a team, or managing organizational change, the outcome doesn’t always match the effort. A proposal may receive partial approval, a project might stall in one department, or a timeline might shift due to limited resources. These moments can be ambiguous, but how we interpret them plays a pivotal role in sustaining motivation, resilience, and effective leadership.

The Psychology of Motivation: A Multi-Theory Perspective

Motivation is a complex construct with multiple theories that blend biology, behavior, emotion, and cognition. Over time, scholars have developed various frameworks to explain how and why people strive, persist, and succeed (Ormrod, 2020):

• Instinct & Evolutionary Theories: Focus on survival-based drives and inherited behaviors.
• Drive and Reinforcement Theories: Suggest that behavior is shaped by rewards, punishments, and external stimuli (e.g., Skinner’s reinforcement model).
• Humanistic Theories: Emphasize personal growth, autonomy, and self-actualization (e.g., Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and Rogers’ theory of self-regard).
• Growth and Mastery Theories: Propose that motivation arises from the need to master challenges and fill skill gaps.
• Cognitive Theories: Argue that internal thought processes, such as expectations, goals, and self-perception, drive engagement.

These foundational models continue to inform three of today’s most relevant motivation frameworks in education and leadership: Attribution Theory, Social Cognitive Theory, and Self-Determination Theory.

Attribution and Meaning-Making in Leadership

Attribution Theory helps explain how people interpret results and how those interpretations shape future behavior. Do we attribute outcomes to our effort (internal) or luck and external factors? Do we see those causes as stable over time or temporary? (Simmering, 2006).

In a recent leadership setting, I submitted a proposal for a new initiative. While it was well received, only part of it moved forward. Instead of viewing this as a setback, I used Attribution Theory to reframe the outcome. I recognized it as stemming from internal, stable, and partially controllable factors, like timing, alignment, and clarity of scope. That reflection helped me maintain momentum and led to future approvals.

This mindset supports long-term motivation and is especially valuable for leaders navigating uncertainty or systemic complexity.

Partial Wins, Purposeful Framing

In leadership, we must learn to recognize and build upon partial wins. Attribution Theory offers a framework for this kind of constructive reflection. When we guide our teams to interpret setbacks not as failures but as steps in a longer process, we nurture resilience and long-term motivation.

This is especially critical in educational environments, where outcomes are often incremental, delayed, or measured over time. Stable, internally driven strategies, like data-informed planning, strategic proposals, and evidence-based leadership, are what create sustainable systems and confident leaders.

Social and Internal Drivers: What the Research Tells Us

Recent scholarship confirms that lasting motivation is rooted in meaning, relationships, and psychological safety, not just external outcomes or monetary rewards.

• Social Cognitive Theory (Bandura, 1986) emphasizes the power of observation, peer modeling, and self-efficacy. People are more likely to persist when they see others like them succeeding, and when they believe in their own ability to perform (Schunk & DiBenedetto, 2020). These insights also align with findings from my doctoral research, which examined how online first-generation college students experienced motivation, connection, and persistence through virtual extracurricular engagement (Henlon, 2025). Across interviews, students consistently described how self-efficacy, peer support, and purpose-driven programming increased their motivation to stay enrolled and thrive.

• Self-Determination Theory (Deci & Ryan, 2000) identifies three psychological needs that drive motivation: autonomy, competence, and relatedness. When people feel trusted, skilled, and connected, their intrinsic motivation tends to increase. This has been shown to reduce burnout and strengthen performance across education and workplace settings (Van den Broeck et al., 2016).

• Cerasoli, Nicklin, and Ford (2014) found that intrinsic motivation predicts the quality of performance, while extrinsic incentives predict the quantity. Effective leaders strike a balance by creating environments that support both individuals and teams, fostering a culture that promotes collaboration and mutual growth.

• A compelling neuroscience study by Ma et al. (2014) showed that external monetary rewards can actually diminish the brain’s intrinsic response to success. Their findings confirm that over-reliance on extrinsic incentives can weaken the internal motivation needed for long-term growth.

Designing for Motivation and Purpose

What all of these frameworks share is a clear message: people are most motivated when they feel competent, autonomous, and socially supported.

This means:

• Celebrating effort and progress (not just outcomes)
• Encouraging peer modeling and shared leadership
• Promoting self-efficacy through meaningful feedback
• Framing setbacks as stable, controllable learning opportunities
• Structuring work around purpose, community, and growth

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About the Author: Dr. Jessica Henlon holds a Ph.D. in Psychology with a specialization in Education. She is an Education Contributor for Florida National News. Dr. Henlon can be reached at Education@FloridaNationalNews.com or book.jessicahenlon@gmail.com.

By Dr. Jessica Henlon, Education Contributor | Florida National News

Earlier this month, I had the privilege of attending Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings’ 2025 State of the County address at the Orange County Convention Center. The address was a dynamic showcase of civic progress, community strength, and regional innovation. One of the most insightful segments came from Dr. Jeff Williamson, Communications Director for Orange County Government, who emphasized how education is shaping the region’s economic and leadership future.

Purpose-Driven Education in Action

Dr. Williamson’s presentation featured three local universities that exemplify values-based learning in practice:

1. Florida State University (FSU) Orlando Regional Campus – offering immersive medical training with a service-driven admissions process. 
2. Florida A&M University (FAMU) College of Law – providing civic justice, elder law, and entrepreneurial support to residents. 
3. University of Central Florida (UCF) Downtown Campus – embedding internships and clinical partnerships across 90% of student experiences.

The message was clear: Orange County’s approach to education includes purpose, service, and connection to community.

At FSU’s Orlando Regional Campus, applicants are selected for their clarity of purpose and demonstrated community service. Most graduates remain in Central Florida, contributing to healthcare leadership in fields like family medicine and neurosurgery. FAMU’s legal programming empowers the local community by providing access to justice and supporting small business development. At UCF Downtown, hands-on learning is deeply integrated into the curriculum, preparing students for meaningful, community-based careers.

These institutions are developing a regional talent pipeline rooted in values-based education. These students are already stepping into roles across healthcare, law, business, and public service with deep ties to the communities they serve.

Building Through Belonging: What Research Shows

As an educational psychologist and consultant with over twenty years of experience designing student development programs, I’ve seen the transformational power of purpose-driven education across every type of institution. When students are given structured opportunities to engage with their communities through internships, legal aid initiatives, or service-learning experiences, they begin to understand leadership as a process grounded in connection and contribution.

This mirrors findings from my dissertation on first-generation college students studying at a distance (Henlon, 2025). Participants described how mentorship, peer collaboration, and opportunities for engagement deepened their academic motivation and shaped their sense of purpose. Their stories reinforced a central truth: students thrive when they feel seen, supported, and connected to a mission larger than themselves.

Recent peer-reviewed studies support the idea that service-centered education drives academic success and personal well-being for students across diverse backgrounds.

• Do et al. (2024) demonstrated that students participating in service-learning during their first year of college experienced higher retention rates, increased GPAs, and stronger long-term outcomes, especially for underrepresented students. 
• Kurtovic, Vrdoljak, and Hirnstein (2021) found that adolescent students engaged in volunteerism and mentorship reported greater academic performance and reduced symptoms of depression. These outcomes were influenced primarily by improved self-regulation and a clearer sense of purpose.  
• López (2024) emphasized the role of collectivist values and critical consciousness in strengthening the academic identity of Latinx students, particularly in learning environments where justice and service are integrated into the curriculum.

These findings affirm what Orange County is putting into practice: community-engaged education strengthens academic outcomes and cultivates leaders prepared to serve in meaningful ways.

A Model for the Future

Orange County’s educational ecosystem is cultivating future leaders through a commitment to experiential learning, equity, and service. The efforts of FSU, FAMU, and UCF represent a model that other regions can learn from. Their graduates are entering careers in health, law, business, and advocacy with deep ties to the people and places they’ve served.

As educators, consultants, and community leaders, our task is to expand these opportunities, embedding a sense of belonging and civic engagement throughout the student journey, from enrollment to orientation, and from active status to graduation, and beyond. Opportunities for engagement should encompass the classroom and the community.

Learn more about the State of the County address: Orange County State of the County 2025

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About the Author: Dr. Jessica Henlon holds a Ph.D. in Psychology with a specialization in Education. She is an Education Contributor for Florida National News. Dr. Henlon can be reached at Education@FloridaNationalNews.com or book.jessicahenlon@gmail.com.