Jessica Cox Peña, Mississippi Gamma, U.S. Air Force

For Jessica Peña, military service wasn’t something she initially planned on doing. Though she grew up surrounded by it, with both parents serving as U.S. Army officers, she never expected to follow the same path. After graduating from Mississippi State University in 2016, she enlisted in the U.S. Air Force the following year, beginning a journey that would become one of the most transformative chapters of her life.  

Over the next eight years, Jessica served as an MQ-9 Sensor Operator, flying remotely piloted aircraft in high-stakes environments. One of her early missions involved watching over 20 U.S. soldiers during a clearing operation in contested territory. “I knew in that moment the gravity of my job and my purpose,” Jessica says. “When the Ground Force commander called the next day to personally thank her crew, the weight of that responsibility became even clearer. It was a moment she’d never forget.  

Now serving in the Air Force Reserves while living in Japan, Jessica is channeling her Special Operations experience into academic and professional growth. Her time in elite military units shaped her approach to teamwork and inspired her to pursue a master’s degree in organizational and industrial psychology. “I love the topics of leadership and teamwork so much,” she says. “I want to help military teams become more effective.”  

Jessica’s years in Pi Phi remain foundational to her. From her experience on Executive Council to the lifelong friendships she still relies on, the sisterhood shaped her in profound ways. She credits Pi Phi with helping her refine communication and evaluation skills that have translated directly into her military career. At her first assignment, she even found parallels between hiring team members in the military and the recruitment process she experienced in Pi Phi. “Being able to network and communicate is a skill Pi Phi helped me refine—it's been a crucial part of my military career,” Jessica says.   

Pi Phi’s core values continue to guide how she approaches both leadership and service today “Having integrity in what you do in and out of uniform says a lot about one’s character,” Jessica says. “That’s something Pi Phi helped instill in me, and something I try to live out every day.”   


Published May 1, 2026