James Charapich, US Navy
I couldn’t have asked for a better first experience with ACP mentoring than being paired with James. I learned as much from him about the challenges and opportunities of transitioning from the military to the civilian world as he did from me. James was incredibly well-prepared for his transition. He started early and did the hard work of first figuring out what his priorities were and what he wanted to do in the next phase of his professional life. He then built a detailed roadmap and timeline to make it happen. James’ superpower was expanding and leveraging his personal and professional network to directly connect with company leaders and prospective hiring managers. It allowed him to sidestep most of the challenging and sometimes unavoidable aspects of the recruiting and hiring process. As with every element of his transition, James was fully committed to the mentorship process. Knowing he was entering a new career field, James was more than open to my insight and guidance. He used me as a sounding board, a “training aid”, and as another set of experienced, objective eyes to help him understand and navigate through this new environment. I have no doubt James will carry the same discipline, drive, and thoughtfulness into his new role. I’m excited to see where his journey takes him next.
Mentor: Walter “Walt” Pollard, Herndon, VA, Flyhalf Consulting, LLC
