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Life Lessons
Sergeant Dilia Paredes
U.S. Marine Corps

 “I just couldn’t wait for my turn to make a difference and to be a part of something that so many people looked up to,” says Sergeant Dilia Paredes. “That’s what the Marine Corps is all about.”

Six months after graduating high school, Paredes decided to make a career out of the Marine Corps. “The Marine Corps at the time was a big challenge,” she says. “Being less than 5-feet-tall made everyone around me think that I was crazy for even considering that I could get through boot camp.”

For Paredes, the thought of people doubting and underestimating her drive in joining the Marines made her work for it even harder and want it more. “I’ve always told them how much I like being a Marine and they can see the motivation on a daily basis,” she says.

Though Paredes loves her job, being a female Marine is the toughest part of her job. “Fighting to shake off a reputation that is pretty much issued when you stand at the yellow footprints is tough.”

Nevertheless, one of the many life lessons she learned from military life is to not take anything for granted. “The little things in life is what counts,” she says. “Every moment you spend with your family, and never leave for tomorrow what you can take care of today.”

Today, Paredes is an administrative clerk, and a student finishing her associates degree in general studies. She gladly mentions that one of the most rewarding experiences has been to meet President Bush, considering it one of the highlights in her career.

“I would like to be a reminder to everyone that because I come from a very rich culture, the fact that I do things differently or see things from a different perspective is nothing but beneficial,” she says. “Instead of expecting less from us because we’re females, we can all learn to look at it from a more positive point of view and understand that we too are capable of accomplishing great things like many already have.”

A Civil Service Career
Ms. Sandra P. Switzer
U.S. Marine Corps Civilian

Sandra P. Switzer was the typical high school student who took a year break and then went to college. Years later, after graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in Economics in 1981 and then with an MBA in 1983, Switzer began a three-year internship with the Air Force at the Los Angeles Air Force Base in 1983, working in civilian personnel.

Switzer realized that she wanted to make a career in the military when she relocated to Edwards Air Force Base, “My new career allotted me closer dialog and interactions with the military,” she says. “The enthusiasm and growing expertise in my work must have shown, because I soon was being selected to participate and head up various high-level teams that had impacts across the DoD in the test and evaluation arena.”

Coming from a traditional Hispanic family, Switzer’s decision in choosing to become part of the U.S. Marine Corps took her family by surprise. “My parents really never expected the girls in the family to pursue higher education,” she says. “I have an older brother and he was expected to go to and finish college, but there was not the same expectation from the daughters.”

Despite the initial surprise by her family she attributes her success to her parents, who were both product of the depression and had a definitive work ethic. “‘If you worked hard’ they said, ‘you would get ahead.’”

Today, Switzer is the lead business manager for the U.S. Marine Corps. She believes that the strong work ethic in the Marine Corps echoes the type of core values that she had when she was growing up.

For Switzer, the support of her husband, parents and siblings has been helpful in accomplishing her goals without trepidation. “It helps if you love what you’re doing and if you have a loving husband and a nurturing family structure to support you,” she says. “It’s good that I can be seen as a positive role model and be able to share my experiences as a mentor.”

Exceed to Success
Technical Sergeant Marie L. Villegas
U.S. Air Force

When Marie L. Villegas was growing up in New York City, she was undecided about what she wanted to study in college. But one thing she did know—she wanted to earn money for college and help her parents save money for her sisters’ high school tuition. How did she make this happen? She joined the Air Force. “I signed on my 17th birthday, and when I got in I saw I was part of something huge,” she says. “I knew that I would make the Air Force a 20-year career once I signed on, and here I am, still in it after 16 plus years and still going.”

Unlike many Latinas in the military, Villegas’ mother encouraged her to join the Air Force. Her father, though supportive, was in shock. “He didn’t want to let go off his first born, especially his daughter!”

Like many Latinas in the military, Villegas was sad to leave her family but was happy to have found a family within her job. “In the military there is the feeling of belonging, of a family. The military life is made up of men and women from all different backgrounds, beliefs and yet we are made to feel like one big family with a common goal – to support and defend the United States of America,” she says. “In the end, on the battleground, it doesn’t matter what branch of service you are in, we all bleed red.”

Throughout her career, Villegas has learned that as a woman “You need to prove yourself more than a man.” Her advice to Latinas is to take care of their paths, set goals and seek opportunities. “It is male dominated, and as a woman and a minority even though we embrace the diversity, as a women in a power position you have to be consistent and be assertive.”

Currently, Villegas manages 27 staff members, both civilian and military personnel, oversees daily food operations for patients and customers, oversees an accounting piece and a clinical operation. She enjoys assisting the injured, seeing patients enjoy their meals, and teaching them to eat healthy.

She has two children, Matthew and Celina, ages 14 and 10. “I feel that my dedication is to be an exemplary role model for my children as well as those whom I supervise. It is what keeps me motivated to be the best that I can be,” she says. “I know that I can be as competitive and successful as a man in the military.”

As a Latina, she hopes to become an inspiration to all women, especially Latinas, “To succeed in whatever they put their minds to—Adelante mujeres.”

Encouragement Leads to Excellence
Sergeant Stephanie Valle
National Guard Bureau

For Stephanie Valle, choosing a career in the military was no surprise to her family. Instead, her mother encouraged her to join the National Guard. “I joined when I was still a senior in high school,” she says. “I was very involved in Junior Reserves Officer Training Corps and wanted to pursue a military career, and loved wearing the uniform.”

According to Valle, as soon as she got out of Basic Combat Training (BCT) she knew that was the life she wanted to follow.

Valle strongly believes that through her career she has learned to become confident. “I am stronger mentally and physically than I have ever been because of the military and the way of life we live,” she says. “I’ve learned that with loyalty, trust and teamwork, you can accomplish anything in the world no matter how hard the challenge is.”

One of Valle’s biggest challenges throughout her short career, has been to prove her superiors that though she was young and low in rank, she was a responsible woman, capable of handling greater tasks than what she was given. “In some of my jobs, I was the first female they were working with,” she says. “And at times it was challenging trying to show infantry men that though I was a young female, I should be measured on my abilities as a soldier and not on my gender.”

Despite the many challenges, she believes that helping soldiers accomplish their missions is the best part of her job.

Nevertheless, Valle is grateful to have great support and encouragement from her mother, and that has made her a stronger person. “She has always taught me not to give up because others think I’m not capable of doing a job,” she says. “She’s shown me that when I’m in a job, I need to give 100 percent and go the extra mile. She is strong, truthful, and never gives up, no matter how hard the challenge, that has allowed her to excel. Her strength and dedication gives me the strength to excel in a male dominant environment.”

Life With A Purpose
Lieutenant Pamela Garcia
U.S. Coast Guard

“I think everybody should do at least one tour of duty in the military,” says Pamela Garcia. “Two, three, four years just to have that experience, to be part of something big, something that means a lot to the country.” As a Lieutenant for the U.S. Coast Guard, Garcia not only feels satisfaction and pride for what she does, but for what she has become.

Garcia has certainly followed her dreams. She recalls the times when “a voice inside her head” was telling her to go to the military, to experience new things, travel around the world and accomplish something important. “I admire personnel who wear the uniform of the five armed services [Army, Navy, Coast Guard, Air Force and Marine Corps] because they all seem to have great discipline and an incredible sense of purpose.”

To Garcia, it was apparent to her that these men and women were part of something bigger than themselves, something that they were very proud to be part of. “That something is the concerted effort of protecting our country’s liberties and taking care of its people,” she says. “And I wanted to be a part of that.”

“The Coast Guard has afforded me opportunities that required great responsibility,” she says. “Positions where I was directly responsible for the safety and well-being of others, opportunities like that help you grow.”

Being part of the Coast Guard has not only given Garcia opportunities to grow professionally but also to grow as an individual. “You learn so much about yourself, about other people,” she says. “It really helps your confidence, your discipline, your focus. I think it’s a great experience for anybody to do that.”

Garcia’s advice to Latinas who are considering taking this path is to “never quit”

“I want people to understand that if you put your mind to it, you make it happen,” she asserts. “If you don’t work for it, it’s not going to happen.”

 A Leadership Mission
Ms. Famia J. Magaña
U.S. Defense Logistics Agency - Civilian

With 33 years of federal service, Famia J. Magaña, is certainly someone to look up to. Magaña is the director of Equal Employment Opportunity at the Defense Logistics Agency, directing a world class EEO program at the largest defense agency in the Department of Defense for nine years. “We have a very active program,” she says. “We are an agency of about 21,000 civilian employees and we have about 1,100 military assigned to the military, roughly about 22,000 employees.

According to Magaña, she didn’t plan a career in the Department of Defense as a military member or as a civilian, as she says, “it just happened.” “I was very young when I came to Washington D.C as an intern, then decided to drop out of school, get married and get a job in the government,” she says. “It was during my employment with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission that I had excellent bosses and mentors who saw potential in me and encouraged me to apply for jobs with advancement opportunities.”

Though a civilian, Magaña has faced several challenges in her life and within her career. “When you are in leadership you experience challenges of organizations, staffing, resources and they change,” she says. “One thing that is constant is change, and you have to be ready to be responsive and open to change and finding ways to manage around and accomplish the mission with the constrains that face you in different ways.”

One of the many rewarding experiences for her is being able to develop staff and promote them. “See them go on, leave the organization and be successful in their mission,” she says.

“The legacy I would like to leave in this position is that I made a difference,” she says. “A positive difference to impact the overall diversity profile of my agency workforce.”

As a Latina, she encourages young Latinas to explore all the different ways that they can assist in defending the freedom of the country. “Whether in a civilian capacity or as an active duty member of the military service, there are so many opportunities available that enable you to contribute,” she says. “It is surprising to learn the different types of occupations available.”

A Vocation for Civil Service
Dr. Elizabeth Rodriguez-Johnson
U.S. Defense Logistics Agency - Civilian

Elizabeth Rodriguez-Johnson’s civil service career started in 1980, when she was 27-years-old. After four years working in civil service as a mathematician in California, she was offered an opportunity in D.C., and without hesitation she took it. “I was given the opportunity at the Pentagon and I ended up staying in D.C. making a career out of it,” she says.

As the Executive Secretariat of the Acquisition and Technology Program (ATP) Task Force within the Defense Safety Oversight Council, she investigates and recommends changes to policy procedures, initiatives, education, training and investments to ensure acquisitions programs address safety throughout the programs’ lifecycle.
 

“What I do on a daily basis has an impact on saving lives because there are so many accidents that can be prevented if we deal with them early enough,” she says. “My job is to find a solution between the different organizations of the DoD.”

Throughout her career Rodriguez-Johnson has learned that being able to communicate is an essential part of a job. “Always search yourself and work on technical skills,” she says. “But make sure you sharpen your communication skills as much as possible along the way.”

Today, Rodriguez-Johnson is not only a civilian, but also a wife and a mother of twin boys. “It’s not easy,” she says. “It’s the hardest I’ve ever work on in my life, but it’s the most fun I’ve ever had.”

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