About Me
I'm a Persian Gulf War Veteran. I served 3 years of Active Duty in the U.S. Army; about 8 months of which was desert time. Returning to my German duty station after the war, I had a little over a year remaining in my term.
Upon ETS I moved back to my home state of California in search of myself, and my dreams. I didn't expect to have such a hard time finding either. I discovered a large reluctance from businesses to work with me. It seemed that they had a difficult time accepting that I was female, 20, and a war Vet.
Banks did not want to open an account for me, I couldn?t rent a car, go dancing, have a beer, or vote. The local college wanted to know addresses of German Kasernes, and the DMV proclaimed that since my Military ID was going to expire in two months (I took Terminal Leave) that it was not a valid ID.
Needless to say, I was extremely frustrated. I felt wholly unsupported and completely shocked. With the help of my sister we managed to find solutions for some things, for others I simply had to wait for my 21st birthday. This was just the beginning of my Civilian journey.
As I attended college and picked up odd and end jobs, I found it often difficult to understand certain civilian ways of thinking and behaving. I was constantly wondering why things were done the way they were. So much seemed ill thought out and inefficient. I was continuously surprised when my suggestions for improvement were scoffed at or blown off. I also found that in comparison to my peers I was harsher and more abrasive in my style of communication. When it came to getting a task done or studying for a finial I was well prepared to do whatever it took. But, when it came to issues that required tact or diplomacy, I was seriously lacking. Very-seriously- badly lacking. Voicing my opinion in the Military way that I had been taught often lead to losing a friend or losing a job, sometimes both.
After several painful lessons, I began to recognize the nuances in the way civilians communicated with each other and started trying to use them. I practiced them and was amazed within a few weeks at the difference in responses to me. I started paying attention to the common organizing principles of Corporate America and learned to apply them in my daily activities in the office. The response was immediate, and obvious.
As I continued on this journey of learning about the workplace, I also began a journey learning about myself. I began to recognize that were there patterns in my life. The periods of time that I was the most satisfied were the times I was teaching, coaching, and mentoring. I began walking the path of teacher in High School by teaching D.A.R.E (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) to junior high schools and elementary schools. Since then I have taught everything from World History to 5th graders, Computer Skills to adults, and Poetry to college students. My talent has always been found in the place of guiding others to be their best selves. It's been my passion and my greatest source of fulfillment.