I enlisted on Oct. 13, 2006, as an infantryman in the U.S. Army and spent six years in that position. When I was up for re-enlistment, I decided to switch career paths to communications. In 2012, I went to school to become a signal support specialist. I learned about all the communications systems that the Army used—from tactical radios to satellite communications. 

With that basic knowledge, I grew my skills and knowledge in the field, setting up complete networks for field operations as well as learning power distribution to operate remote sites. The last couple of years of my enlistment I was a signal team chief, leading a team of seven junior soldiers and training them to be proficient with the equipment they were assigned. The most interesting field I was able to train in was cryptography, which led me to a position handling and issuing encryption materials for use in the field. 

My military experience in communications has given me an abundance of hands-on skills in information technology and information security. With the work experience on both classified and unclassified networks, I am able to apply a lot of the security knowledge and training in my everyday work at SAFE Credit Union.

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