“This program is designed to help you grow and develop and everyone here wants you to succeed”
Aleecia Smith, a United Sates Navy veteran, was proud to have moved up the ladder as an individual contributor in the project manager world. In the last decade since her transition out of the military, she had enjoyed regularly combining her skills in organizational development, and training and development to close gaps and improve business processes. In recent months, she decided she wanted to take on a broader role but acknowledged there were gaps in her own experience that she would need to address in order to move forward.
Determined, to engage in personal and professional growth, Aleecia embarked on an intentional search for leadership programs specific to women veterans. A strong believer that “the right opportunities find us when we need them”, Aleecia was thrilled to discover our Women Veterans Lead program last spring.
After being accepted into the program, Aleecia was eager to build her network with likeminded women and learn from their experiences. Through the stories they shared- of their service, of their transition out of the military, and of their time navigating the civilian world- she found herself inspired by her fellow veteran sisters. In connecting with this community of powerful women and hearing all that they had pursued and overcome and found success in, Aleecia felt a shift in her own thinking. In her recent pursuit of a greater role within her industry, she had felt herself sometimes focusing only on her perceived areas for development, losing sight of the value of her previous accomplishments. “Being surrounded by other women veterans who have accomplished so much” however, “has been a great reminder of my own capabilities” she reflected.
Aleecia had set out within the cohort to build her network and equip herself with skills to fill the gaps she saw in her resume. The community she found, however, provided not only professional knowledge and tactics for development, but instilled in Aleecia the confidence that she already held the keys to her growth to accomplish her next goals. Since the cohort, she has even published her first novel and is already working on her second.
“This program is designed to help you grow and develop and everyone here wants you to succeed.” Inspired by the success of her fellow veteran sisters in the Women Veterans Lead cohort, Aleecia has continued to confidently pursue growth on her own professional path, knowing she has the support of the entire cohort behind her.
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