February 2025 - Mentorship Success Story

The average adult experiences over 30 major life events over their lifetime, both personal and professional. For many military service members, switching to a brand-new career field will be one of the most profound changes they experience, and you don’t want to go it alone. 

That’s what prompted Christian Hernandez, a former Air Support Operator in the U.S. Marine Corps, to reach out to ACP and work with a Mentor. Hernandez, who separated from the Marine Corps in 2021, had been working toward his Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice, alongside a stopgap job that offered flexibility. 

Wanting a more stable career to support his family, Hernandez started considering Cybersecurity as a possible path. Thomas Barbe, his ACP Mentor and a Director of Information Security with Sony, had been in the field for over ten years. He was eager to help Hernandez explore different opportunities and find his niche.

Since their initial meeting in February 2024, Barbe and Hernandez have met almost weekly. They started by reviewing Hernandez’s background for relevant experience that could carry over to his new field. Subsequently, the pair focused on getting Hernandez to as many in-person and virtual hiring events as possible so he could practice his interpersonal and interviewing skills. 

By this time, Hernandez had also switched his major to Cybersecurity. With his professional and educational background, Barbe was able to fill in any gaps in Hernandez’s technical knowledge. “I’m learning more from this experience than anything I’ve ever done before,” Hernandez enthused. “Thomas really puts in a ton of effort to help me out.”

“Chris is doing great and really working his way through the process,” agreed Barbe, who was invested in Hernandez personally as well as professionally. When Hernandez and his family moved to Arizona, Barbe celebrated alongside them: “I am very excited for him, because I think he will have a lot more opportunities and also [be closer] to his wife’s family.”

Barbe’s optimism was prescient. Soon after his move, Hernandez landed a role as a desktop support technician for a contractor with the defense conglomerate RTX. It’s a huge win for someone who left the military feeling like he had few transferable skills and fewer options. 

Hernandez is clear about Barbe’s impact on his development. “My Mentor has been one of the greatest assets to my personal development that I have ever been given the pleasure of having,” he says. “He is building me up and teaching me so many skills to be able to use in [my] career. I’m so happy to be able to work with him.”

ACP’s Veteran and Spouse mentoring program has been building success stories like Hernandez’s since 2009. If you are a post-9/11 Veteran or Active Duty Military Spouse, you can take advantage of a full year of mentorship at no cost. ACP’s staff will work with you to find the right Mentor and give you the confidence to make meaningful progress in your professional life!