Over the past year, I’ve had the absolute pleasure of working with Sam Brand as he transitioned out of the U.S. Navy. Early in our conversations, it was apparent that Sam knew exactly what he wanted to do following the military and had laid a course for himself that would set him up for success. He had his sights set on becoming a Financial Advisor in the Boston area. In the months leading up to his transition date, Sam worked diligently to interview veterans working in the financial services field to learn from their transition experiences, as well as preparing to apply to MBA programs in the area.

As Sam made the official transition from the Navy at the end of 2018 and moved from San Diego to Boston with his wife, he shortly began a Financial Advisor training program with Bank of America / Merrill Edge. Since his time starting in the program, Sam has successfully passed all of his FINRA certifications, has been accepted to business school for fall 2019 matriculation, and has begun practicing as a licensed Financial Advisor. I am confident that Sam’s runway for growth is unlimited and that this is only the beginning of what will be an impressive career.

Sam’s dedication, motivation, and strong work ethic have made my end of the mentorship incredibly easy. It has been a pleasure to watch him succeed in his life after the military and in his new career. I look forward to staying in touch with Sam in the future as a friend and following his career progression.

Mentor: Mike Salinetti, Boston, Massachusetts, Fidelity Investments

Michael is a pleasure to work with. He entered our mentoring relationship fully prepared, with résumé in hand at our first meeting. Michael is intelligent, articulate, accomplished and humble. He has extensive leadership experience and clearly did his homework with respect to translating his military skills into language on his résumé that civilians would recognize. Michael is a natural leader, with demonstrated success, who holds himself to the highest possible standards. We have worked together for a few months now, and I am impressed with Michael’s commitment to his goals, and the hard work he puts into preparing for his transition to a civilian career.

He is currently involved in a fellowship program in a federal agency where he has demonstrated great leadership and ingenuity. I have no doubt that he will obtain the type of post-military career that he is interested in. Michael is an asset to whichever agency has the great fortune to hire him.

Mentor: Margarita Devlin, Washington, Washington D.C., Citizens Program

I have had the distinct pleasure of working with Rick the past few months and have been extremely impressed (but not surprised) by his enthusiasm, passion, professionalism and inquisitive mind. An excellent example of today’s military leader and a role model for others. I am confident that Rick will be extremely successful in his transition and will be a strong leader that makes a difference in his next career.

Rick is extremely organized and motivated, and comes very prepared for our meetings/calls and the feedback I have received from the people I have introduced him to has been overwhelmingly favorable. Rick has even traveled from Florida to New Jersey to participate in a company Veterans Salute where he had an opportunity to experience the “corporate” world and further network.

The ACP program provides an excellent framework for engagement and learning, and has proven to be very successful. In addition to learning and preparing for life in the corporate world, Rick was accepted into a leadership program in St. Petersburg that provides further networking and development opportunities. He is tackling this with a passion and enthusiasm that is inspirational to observe and will set a high standard for other participants to match. Rick is also leveraging the ACP network and has spoken to former ACP participants to understand their transition experiences.

I am extremely confident in Rick’s ability to excel in his next career, and I look forward to our future sessions as I view these as win-win opportunities for both participants.    

Mentor: John Pinter, New Brunswick, New Jersey, Bristol-Myers Squibb

Jessica, a Petty Officer 2nd Class, made her transition to the civilian world on October 1, 2018. So first, “Thank You” Jessica for your service. I am so excited to highlight Jessica, as her strength of planning and goal setting, enabled her to quickly transition back into her new chapter in life. While in the Navy, Jessica was an Interior Communication Electrician installing telecom on the military bases in Southern California. Her eyes were focused on a position well before she was honorably discharged. Knowing the importance of networking with her civilian counterparts – Jessica was able to carryover these affiliations and connections, resulting in a position as a Telecom Specialist, working for the Department of Defense on December 24, 2018. In this role, she is responsible for the coordination, planning and execution of telecom requests on the same military bases.

Throughout our mentoring, we concentrated on effective communication, influencing decisions and ensuring her points are clear and understood. She is delightful to be paired with. I am proud to share, Jessica is married to her military husband and she is also working towards a degree in Applied Math. Her professional goals are to stay her course with the DOD, move up in continuous learning while acquiring additional responsibilities. Congratulations Jessica on your new journey.

Mentor: Colleen Dellolio-Coons, Gilbert, Arizona, UPS

I am very impressed with Shalela's determination, dedication and willingness to learn. She is very clear about where she is and where she wants to go next. Keeping an eye on her long term goals while working on the short term is one of her many strengths. Shalela tapped into her network and worked diligently to find the right employment opportunity for her as she transitioned out of the military. She has been committed to our monthly calls and we also communicate, whether updates or any other life events, in between the monthly calls as well. I'm confident that she will emerge as the next generation of leaders in her civilian workplace.

It has truly been a joy having a small part in Shalela's journey and I am excited to see what is in store next for her as she starts her civilian career this month.

Mentor: Renada Beckwith, Houston, Texas, BP

Yunmi has shown incredible devotion to achieving her goals. She is many things: hard-working, talented, a creative professional, a veteran and a mother. During our time working together, she has travelled to complete several technical and security trainings. She is also completing a Harvard Master’s Program. We both have very busy schedules, but we keep an open dialogue about her work and progress. We keep a set monthly meeting to make sure we connect regularly. We also meet as needed to talk about project challenges, technical topics and career guidance. We work together to make sure she is prepared for any challenge. Yunmi is amazing and I am proud of her progress and inspired by her ambition.

Mentor: Katherine Rivers, South River, New Jersey, MetLife

Mike has approached his mentorship with great enthusiasm and forethought. He prepared a discussion outline that summarized goals and expectations for each quarter. In the course of our discussions, Mike also joined several veteran and alumni groups to expand his circle of contacts. Mike has been very responsive to feedback: he recognized a gap in his business acumen, so he agreed to read “The Great Game of Business”. I shared some of our company's behavioral based interview questions which he took and developed answers and anecdotes. He has always been very open to listening and learning about multiple business opportunities.

Mentor: Wesley Scott, Houston, Texas, Oxy