Life has been on fast forward these days. I am elated to announce that I was chosen as the 2012 Coast Guard Spouse of the Year. This is a tremendous honor and I cannot even put into words how amazing this is. I am humbled by the support I have received and by the work I am able to do. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
I am passionate about serving military families, and it's as simple as that. No matter where this journey takes me, I will continue doing what I do. Just to give you an idea of how I feel about serving military families, I wrote this out. I wanted to elaborate in my video, but because time is short and I was rather nervous on camera, I wrote it out. My video hits the main points and explains what I am already working on, in sum, but there is MORE. There is a lot of day to day, behind the scenes stuff that I don't share with folks, but here on this blog, I will elaborate more and more. But, first....here's what I envision about what I am doing now and what I intend to do as the 2012 Coast Guard Spouse of the Year and possibly the 2012 Military Spouse of the Year:
I am honored to be the 2012 Coast Guard Spouse of the year. I am proud also to be the founder of Coast Guard Family Organization and Military Spouse Mentoring. I created Coast Guard Family Organization, Inc., because Coast Guard families are often excluded Department of Defense programs like Military One Source as the Coast Guard falls under the Department of Homeland Security. My other main organization is Military Spouse Mentoring. This mentoring program was born from an idea to connect military spouses from all walks of life regardless of branch affiliation to help one another in the areas of education, career plans, parenting and navigating military life among many other things. But, this is not about me and what I have done. This is about our military families. This platform allows for those of us who volunteer our time a stronger voice to be heard for positive change and progressive impact.
Congressional budget cuts are on the rise and because of that military family programs face an uncertain future. I will continue to work hard to keep existing programs in tact and gain support for an all encompassing military family bill to further provide for military family benefits, which would also address military retirement. At this point, we need to cut through the bureaucratic red tape to save heartache and money and allow for creative financing.
Another thing I want to talk about is my education focus. With my own children, I have noticed shortcomings in public school curricula from state to state and this is happening across the Nation affecting a myriad of other military families. Therefore, I am working to gain support of standardization for K-12 curricula or at least providing viable alternatives for our military students who are often advserly affected, academically, because of PCS moves.
Similarly, I have felt the strain of transferring credits and limited collegiate financing options that so many other spouses face and I am supporting every effort including the Military Spouse Education Initiative to see improvements in this area. Likewise, I will continue to work to gain support for universal reciprocity of certifications, licensures for all spouses regardless of their branch affiliation.
As a military spouse, veteran, and parent, I understand many of the obstacles military families face on a daily basis, whether it is navigating TRICARE, dealing with the VA, special needs or reinteigration, etc. I am well versed in a number of these areas and what I haven't encountered, I seek to better understand to support my peers and the military family at large.
No matter where this journey takes me next I will continue serving military families. Thank you for support and please vote for the nominee that you feel would best serve us all as Military Spouse of the Year.
Here's my latest and greatest video (don't laugh too hard, I told you I was nervous, this is a HUGE honor and I get a little shaky when it comes down to it, after all, I have wonderfully, big, great shoes to fill!). I have been running into a lot of trouble getting a video to upload, but finally had luck today! 2012 MSOY FINALIST VIDEO
In other news, this week, I will be speaking with the folks at Business and Professional Women's Foundation about partnering our mentoring programs! Yay for www.militaryspousementoring.com. and I also have a scheduled conference with the folks at Building Capacity to discuss the K-12 education issues of our military students and what they are doing in working with Dr. Jill Biden and how I can help. This is all before Wednesday. Someone pinch me!
Showing posts with label education. Show all posts
Showing posts with label education. Show all posts
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
So swamped it's silly.
Great things happen all at once it seems!
For those of you who know I've found it difficult to break into the working arena in my new area, the great news is, I've been successful (finally!). I guess I'll have to update that latest HUN article. A terrific firm invested in me and hired me on for more than just contracted legal work that I have been doing here and there as a freelancer.
Great back-to-work-news aside, I am thrilled to say that, we at Coast Guard Family Organization, Inc. having been looking ahead at the redesign of our website. My wonderful friend, terrific supporter, and Vice President of the organization, Amber Broadway, is also our Marketing Director. We are looking at some nifty options to make the site more engaging for you and also to intertwine some language options. Most readers, in other Nations, and if you have your settings right on your computer can view us in their respective language, but we are hoping to bring a quick and easy translator to you right at your fingertips for those of you who don't have the options right there on your screen already. We are also bringing back our blog and will have some great stories and life experiences from varied CG spouses.
Military Spouse Mentoring is bringing on some contributing writers as well. Our newest writer will be Amy Granillo, a well-versed business woman who is also a military spouse. We are also communicating with various mentoring programs around the country to further develop what we already have in place.
This past week, I was contacted by a collegiate department, that collaborates with Dr. Jill Biden on education matters, about how we can possibly work together to merge the things I am doing to benefit our military children with what they are working on. Is that not amazing!?! To say that I am thrilled is a gross understatement.
What change do you want to see? How can I get you the resources you need and what can I help with? Let me know! I might not have the answer, but chances are, I might know someone who does.
For those of you who know I've found it difficult to break into the working arena in my new area, the great news is, I've been successful (finally!). I guess I'll have to update that latest HUN article. A terrific firm invested in me and hired me on for more than just contracted legal work that I have been doing here and there as a freelancer.
Great back-to-work-news aside, I am thrilled to say that, we at Coast Guard Family Organization, Inc. having been looking ahead at the redesign of our website. My wonderful friend, terrific supporter, and Vice President of the organization, Amber Broadway, is also our Marketing Director. We are looking at some nifty options to make the site more engaging for you and also to intertwine some language options. Most readers, in other Nations, and if you have your settings right on your computer can view us in their respective language, but we are hoping to bring a quick and easy translator to you right at your fingertips for those of you who don't have the options right there on your screen already. We are also bringing back our blog and will have some great stories and life experiences from varied CG spouses.
Military Spouse Mentoring is bringing on some contributing writers as well. Our newest writer will be Amy Granillo, a well-versed business woman who is also a military spouse. We are also communicating with various mentoring programs around the country to further develop what we already have in place.
This past week, I was contacted by a collegiate department, that collaborates with Dr. Jill Biden on education matters, about how we can possibly work together to merge the things I am doing to benefit our military children with what they are working on. Is that not amazing!?! To say that I am thrilled is a gross understatement.
What change do you want to see? How can I get you the resources you need and what can I help with? Let me know! I might not have the answer, but chances are, I might know someone who does.
Saturday, January 28, 2012
I hit the books. It hit my wallet.
I was always a student who showed exceptional academic promise growing up. My teachers always gave glowing reports. Everyone assumed I would always do well scholastically and so did I. Fast forward to high school. It was assumed I would make National Honor Society. I didn't. For some reason, my junior year, my grades plummeted. It could have been because of my insane extracurricular and work schedule. It could also have been party due to peer pressure and slacking off. Whatever the reason, my grades suffered because I stopped putting in the effort I always had. I started having other interests and not having my nose in a book all the time didn't fit in. I still studied and did well, but I was certainly not the top in my class -- by a long shot.
This cost me a number of scholarships and potential collegiate pursuits.
I decided, the summer before my senior year of high school, to join the United States Marine Corps. This had nothing to do with my grades. Instead, I always felt called to service. I come from a military family and had it in my blood, in a way. I enjoyed the romance and history of wars of bygone eras; but the tragedies were not lost on me. Still, I felt untouchable. It was a time of peace when I enlisted and I assured my parents there was nothing to worry about.
I started taking some college classes when I was on active duty. Because of operational commitments interfering and some bad choices of not going to class a time or two, I withdrew. In 1999, I left active duty with an Honorable Discharge. I still hadn't finished school. Looking back, my recruiter had instilled in me that I would and it would be a piece of cake. Funny thing, is, it wasn't, for a number of reasons.
I rejoined the civilian world and started a full-time job and began taking community college courses at night. It was hard. It was grueling because while my friends were out and about having fun, I was in class or doing homework. I excelled at most of my classes, but almost begrudgingly, if you can imagine that. I was still young. I loathed spending my nights and weekends in school. I had applied for my GI Bill and was planning on using that because I felt I had to. To be honest, at that point in my life, my heart wasn't in school and I didn't give it the effort I could have. I wasted a lot of time and money on classes that would end being nontransferable when I switched schools.
I met my boyfriend (now husband) not long after I started night classes. He was very supportive and encouraged me to keep going to school even when I had no desire to do so. About six months into our relationship, things got very serious and we moved. So, I withdrew from community college and transferred to a private college in New Hampshire near where we lived.
Still working full-time and having a heck of a commute into and out of Boston each day, the school just got to be too much for me. I couldn't give it the attention it deserved and I didn't want to waste anymore of my GI Bill. A bunch of my community college and military credits didn't transfer or translate to my new college's program. I was dismayed, to say the least. For awhile, I stopped going to school.
We got married and within a year I was expecting our first child. Reality began to set in. If I don't go back to school now, when was I going to, I asked myself. All I could envision was my child graduating college before I had. This was and is perfectly acceptable. However, at that point in my life, it didn't sit well with me and I finally realized I had to make the commitment to my education.
Eight months pregnant, still working full time, and with my husband about to join a deploying unit, I went back to school. Crazy? Yes, perhaps. I had some months left on my GI Bill and I gave it my all. My professors thought I was a bit loopy for even attempting this given my situation, but they were supportive anyway, especially two I can recall fondly.
Even though I was using my GI Bill, my education was costly early on. When I couldn't attend enough classes to qualify for the GI Bill, I had to pay out of pocket and take out student loans. I had to because it was the only thing that worked for my family situation at the time.
I decided to start taking online classes first so that I could still be home with my baby when my husband was deployed. This worked for quite awhile. I would work and study when she napped and then stay up late hours at night while she slept in her crib. As you can imagine, there were many tough nights with colic and a cranky mommy and an absent husband that made college very trying. I kept my eyes set on my goal and made a plan to graduate within two years with my Bachelor of Arts.
By the time 2005 rolled around, I had another child. I was caring for two babies and enduring numerous deployments as my husband was still at his same unit. I did it though. In May 2005, I graduated with my BA! My husband was away at a school and wasn't even sure if he could make it to the graduation, but he did. He got there in the nick of time and my mom and him and two daughters watched me walk down the aisle in my cap and gown and receive my degree.
My eyes were still set on continuing my education. Unfortunately, after 36 months, my GI Bill ran out. I decided I would still go on in school. I applied for grants, scholarships and loans. I only was able to get the loans (of course). I started graduate school in the spring of 2006. If you can believe it, shortly thereafter, I found out I was expecting (unexpectedly) my third child. I almost had a melt down. How was I going to do this? How could I manage grad school and three kids? I considered dropping out, but opted to give it a go. I am so glad I did. My son arrived in April of 2007 and I kept at it, remembering all I had endured just to get my BA. I knew I could do this!
Sure, I incurred another set of student loans, but I graduated in 2008 with my Masters.
Going back to school certainly came with numerous obstacles as an adult learner. I was far from the youngest in my class, but I also wasn't the youngest. When I finally made the serious commitment to go back and stick with it in 2003 my life changed. I said that I will do this for myself and for my family. I did.
There are so many who find finances an obstacle, but you can get assistance. I am sure there was much more available to me, but I didn't have the resources to get them. And, as a Coast Guard spouse, many of the DOD assistance programs weren't available to me.
It's not as easy and readily available as most military spouses wish for it to be, but that is something I am committed to changing. The difficulties I faced with deployments, childcare expenses, tuition and course costs, etc. helped me to understand what so many other military spouses face. Education is attainable, but for so many it feels unattainable. I am eager to work on some progressive and positive changes in this vein and am already doing what I can to see improvements made in this area.
This cost me a number of scholarships and potential collegiate pursuits.
I decided, the summer before my senior year of high school, to join the United States Marine Corps. This had nothing to do with my grades. Instead, I always felt called to service. I come from a military family and had it in my blood, in a way. I enjoyed the romance and history of wars of bygone eras; but the tragedies were not lost on me. Still, I felt untouchable. It was a time of peace when I enlisted and I assured my parents there was nothing to worry about.
I started taking some college classes when I was on active duty. Because of operational commitments interfering and some bad choices of not going to class a time or two, I withdrew. In 1999, I left active duty with an Honorable Discharge. I still hadn't finished school. Looking back, my recruiter had instilled in me that I would and it would be a piece of cake. Funny thing, is, it wasn't, for a number of reasons.
I rejoined the civilian world and started a full-time job and began taking community college courses at night. It was hard. It was grueling because while my friends were out and about having fun, I was in class or doing homework. I excelled at most of my classes, but almost begrudgingly, if you can imagine that. I was still young. I loathed spending my nights and weekends in school. I had applied for my GI Bill and was planning on using that because I felt I had to. To be honest, at that point in my life, my heart wasn't in school and I didn't give it the effort I could have. I wasted a lot of time and money on classes that would end being nontransferable when I switched schools.
I met my boyfriend (now husband) not long after I started night classes. He was very supportive and encouraged me to keep going to school even when I had no desire to do so. About six months into our relationship, things got very serious and we moved. So, I withdrew from community college and transferred to a private college in New Hampshire near where we lived.
Still working full-time and having a heck of a commute into and out of Boston each day, the school just got to be too much for me. I couldn't give it the attention it deserved and I didn't want to waste anymore of my GI Bill. A bunch of my community college and military credits didn't transfer or translate to my new college's program. I was dismayed, to say the least. For awhile, I stopped going to school.
We got married and within a year I was expecting our first child. Reality began to set in. If I don't go back to school now, when was I going to, I asked myself. All I could envision was my child graduating college before I had. This was and is perfectly acceptable. However, at that point in my life, it didn't sit well with me and I finally realized I had to make the commitment to my education.
Eight months pregnant, still working full time, and with my husband about to join a deploying unit, I went back to school. Crazy? Yes, perhaps. I had some months left on my GI Bill and I gave it my all. My professors thought I was a bit loopy for even attempting this given my situation, but they were supportive anyway, especially two I can recall fondly.
Even though I was using my GI Bill, my education was costly early on. When I couldn't attend enough classes to qualify for the GI Bill, I had to pay out of pocket and take out student loans. I had to because it was the only thing that worked for my family situation at the time.
I decided to start taking online classes first so that I could still be home with my baby when my husband was deployed. This worked for quite awhile. I would work and study when she napped and then stay up late hours at night while she slept in her crib. As you can imagine, there were many tough nights with colic and a cranky mommy and an absent husband that made college very trying. I kept my eyes set on my goal and made a plan to graduate within two years with my Bachelor of Arts.
By the time 2005 rolled around, I had another child. I was caring for two babies and enduring numerous deployments as my husband was still at his same unit. I did it though. In May 2005, I graduated with my BA! My husband was away at a school and wasn't even sure if he could make it to the graduation, but he did. He got there in the nick of time and my mom and him and two daughters watched me walk down the aisle in my cap and gown and receive my degree.
My eyes were still set on continuing my education. Unfortunately, after 36 months, my GI Bill ran out. I decided I would still go on in school. I applied for grants, scholarships and loans. I only was able to get the loans (of course). I started graduate school in the spring of 2006. If you can believe it, shortly thereafter, I found out I was expecting (unexpectedly) my third child. I almost had a melt down. How was I going to do this? How could I manage grad school and three kids? I considered dropping out, but opted to give it a go. I am so glad I did. My son arrived in April of 2007 and I kept at it, remembering all I had endured just to get my BA. I knew I could do this!
Sure, I incurred another set of student loans, but I graduated in 2008 with my Masters.
Going back to school certainly came with numerous obstacles as an adult learner. I was far from the youngest in my class, but I also wasn't the youngest. When I finally made the serious commitment to go back and stick with it in 2003 my life changed. I said that I will do this for myself and for my family. I did.
There are so many who find finances an obstacle, but you can get assistance. I am sure there was much more available to me, but I didn't have the resources to get them. And, as a Coast Guard spouse, many of the DOD assistance programs weren't available to me.
It's not as easy and readily available as most military spouses wish for it to be, but that is something I am committed to changing. The difficulties I faced with deployments, childcare expenses, tuition and course costs, etc. helped me to understand what so many other military spouses face. Education is attainable, but for so many it feels unattainable. I am eager to work on some progressive and positive changes in this vein and am already doing what I can to see improvements made in this area.
Monday, January 23, 2012
It's Monday and it's a busy one!
This morning's festivities kicked off with responding to a military spouse's concerns about her housing situation. They are living in shabby housing to say the least. That's not the big problem though. The issue is that no one is helping her out and she is getting nowhere fast. Hopefully the information I was able to give her will provide her with enough ammunition to get things taken care of.
On tap for today is some freelance legal work (a girl's gotta pay the bills) and then volunteering at my daughter's school for a bit.
One issue I am seriously addressing this week is working collobaratively on a milspouse education matter that was recently posed to me. I am elated to support the brains behind the mission and see some changes put into place. Our military spouses sacrifice and serve so much, but often feel that education is still not within their reach due to financial strains, childcare matters, inability to transfer enough credits between schools and so on and so on. It's about high time this ridiculousness is put to an end. Military spouses need a strong voice and need a team of people working on their side and I am more than thrilled to be on that team!
Have a fantastic day everyone and don't forget to vote at MSOY. Thank you!
On tap for today is some freelance legal work (a girl's gotta pay the bills) and then volunteering at my daughter's school for a bit.
One issue I am seriously addressing this week is working collobaratively on a milspouse education matter that was recently posed to me. I am elated to support the brains behind the mission and see some changes put into place. Our military spouses sacrifice and serve so much, but often feel that education is still not within their reach due to financial strains, childcare matters, inability to transfer enough credits between schools and so on and so on. It's about high time this ridiculousness is put to an end. Military spouses need a strong voice and need a team of people working on their side and I am more than thrilled to be on that team!
Have a fantastic day everyone and don't forget to vote at MSOY. Thank you!
Friday, January 20, 2012
MSEI
Next month 2011 Military Spouse of the year Bianca Strzalkwoski will present her EDU Initiative for MilSpouses. Please help her and this effrot by completing this survey. https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/H9W2WX7
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