National Military Spouse Network

Military Spouse Highlight #45! This week's Military Spouse Highlight is Karin Tramm. She is an Author and Retired Early Childhood Educator, and Navy retiree spouse. She was able to successfully change her career throughout her life as a military spouse. She began teaching in 1983 in Guam, before she met her husband. It’s also where she had her travel article published in The Pacific Daily News. She then went to work for DoDEA (then DoDDS) in the Philippines in 1986 where she met her husband, Gene. He went to Naples, Italy, and she transferred to Bamberg, Germany. When they got married, she was able to transfer to Naples and keep her job. They then moved to Guam, where she taught in the local school system again, and then to Monterey where they started a family. She taught Pre-K there and wrote a couple of travel articles for the Monterey Herald. From there they went to Iceland, where she opened a photography business and wrote a regular travel column for families in the base newspaper, The White Falcon, the USO News, and Iceland Explorer magazine. Next was Norfolk, where she stayed home while Gene was deployed. Their next duty station took them back overseas to Spain. There she went back to work for DoDEA and continued her photography business as well. Before her husband retired, she was able to get a transfer to Italy. In time, Gene became a certified teacher as well and they ended up staying in Italy for 16 years. She is now a retired DoDEA teacher, a writer, and author of the book 100 Days Smart. This is a memoir following her experience teaching in Vicenza, Italy, during the initial pandemic outbreak and a light-hearted look at virtual school with five-year-olds. She left Vicenza in 2022 and now resides in Parrish, FL. NMSN Military Spouse Highlights powered by USAA are short interviews featuring talented, accomplished military spouse professionals. We hope you'll consider sharing YOUR story with us! Visit her Highlight here - https://lnkd.in/eKfaghbR

Military Spouse Highlight #44! This week's Military Spouse Highlight is Lily Dagdag. She is a Co-founder and Coach, and Army Veteran spouse who knows exactly how to make a business work and when to pivot when necessary. In 2010, while her husband was stationed in Korea, she realized that her regular job was not going to work for her. She was having issues getting a job after moving for the third time in just two years. She then launched her very first business with her sisters. For the next few years they experimented with different services and target markets. In 2013 she and her twin sister Patricia launched Syt Biz Solutions, a web design firm. In 2018, they launched Operation Syt Launch, their passion project which provided the same services as their main business but at a discounted rate for the military community. After the pandemic they chose to rebrand as Syt Launch and fully focus on the military community. Then in 2024 they launched the coaching side, Milspouse Momentum as well as their non profit Valor Forward. NMSN Military Spouse Highlights powered by USAA are short interviews featuring talented, accomplished military spouse professionals. We hope you'll consider sharing YOUR story with us! Visit her Highlight here - https://lnkd.in/eYpsK3rt #milspouse?#armyspouse #veteranspouse #career?#storytelling?#militaryspouse?#military?#militarylife?#militaryspouseemployment

Military Spouse Highlight #43! Military Spouse Highlight is Colleen Leonard. She is an Academics Officer and Marine Corps spouse who has found balance between her career, and two part-time jobs including using creativity in her professional life with her very first children's book, "Better Than Magic." She graduated college with a degree in Elementary Education and started teaching at a small school in New Hampshire. In 2010, she got married and moved to Lejeune and it took her months to find any work at all. She eventually was able to start substitute teaching and working part time at JCPenney for something to do. She took several long term sub positions over the next 18 months, and then was hired full-time by the county in 2012 to teach 5th grade. During that time, she also worked part-time sewing for friends. Near the end of the five year period, she was sewing almost exclusively for total strangers and had built up enough of a customer base that she felt comfortable leaving her teaching position. She worked for herself for two years sewing custom clothing for people - mostly women and children - and working part time as a Blog Manager for a sewing pattern company. When they got orders to Oki, she intended to keep working for herself, but didn't realize she wouldn't be able to use the base post office for her business. She then joined the DOD civilian work force as a School Age Care Director. When they returned to NC, she worked for just under three years at a wonderful non-profit partnership for children, One Place, as a Training and Technical Assistance Director. That position set her up for her current position, Academics Director and Formal School Advisor. She has continued her contract work for the sewing company, and has published her first book. NMSN Military Spouse Highlights powered by USAA are short interviews featuring talented, accomplished military spouse professionals. We hope you'll consider sharing YOUR story with us! View her Highlight here - https://lnkd.in/eF3jxCUy #milspouse?#marinecorpspouse #career?#storytelling?#militaryspouse?#military?#militarylife?#militaryspouseemployment

Tomorrow (Tuesday, November 5th) is Election Day! Make sure you get out there and vote. Make it social and take a friend and/or neighbor with you. #milspouse #militaryspouse #voting #election

Session 7 of NMSN's Military Spouse Career Summit presented by Wells Fargo is a Panel Conversation: Transition to Retirement. Moderated by Sue Luangkhot Hoppin. Panelists: Trish Alegre-Smith, Ali Nelson, MEd, PMP, and Dr. Kaelin Peterson. In military life, one thing is certain - we're all going to have to transition out of the lifestyle at some point. Everyone always says they wish they had a roadmap or a transition mentor. We pulled together three of the best! Our panelists discuss the transition: their lessons learned, pitfalls, what they wish they'd known earlier, etc... Visit the NMSN website to watch the session hear more about transition and retirement -https://lnkd.in/giCmruE #milspouse #militaryspouse #career #employment #militaryspouseemployment

Military Spouse Highlight #42! This week's Military Spouse Highlight is Kristin S.. She is the Assistant Director of Experiential Learning, and Navy spouse and has found ways to continue her education and reach her goals during military life. When she and her husband first married, she was still working on her Bachelor's degree. She had switched to the only state university at the time that offered fully online degree completion so that she could finish her degree while moving from AZ to TX to FL to WA. They had their first child the year after they married and then he was deployed for two-thirds of their three-year tour. To stay productive while balancing childcare, she worked part-time as a horseback riding instructor and volunteered as a financial caseworker & chair of volunteers while also receiving her financial counseling accreditation. After moving overseas, she had the opportunity to work as a federal government employee and then as director of a nonprofit, while also getting her graduate certificate in Family Financial Planning. Upon returning to the states, she worked for another nonprofit that provided financial literacy and career readiness education for K-12 students. During their next move, she completed her Master's degree in Human Sciences, taught part-time at an elementary school, and volunteered in the community. She also began working for a contracting company that provided financial counseling and education to service members. At their next duty station, she continued to volunteer and teach part-time. Their next overseas assignment saw her move to a full-time position as a financial counselor and attain a financial educator certification. During this tour, she had the privilege of serving as president of a nonprofit that provides leadership education to military spouses. She also launched a teen leadership conference there before PCSing back to the states, where she was able to use that experience as a launchpad to found her own 501(c)(3) nonprofit to provide leadership education to teens. Upon their relocation, she was fortunate to be connected with a higher ed faculty position by a fellow military spouse. This summer, she accepted a new role with a state university, where she develops experiential learning programs for students. NMSN Military Spouse Highlights powered by USAA are short interviews featuring talented, accomplished military spouse professionals. We hope you'll consider sharing YOUR story with us! Visit her Highlight here - https://lnkd.in/eaRzFS4r #milspouse?#navyspouse #career?#storytelling?#militaryspouse?#military?#militarylife?#militaryspouseemployment

Need help with your resume? Session 6 of NMSN's Military Spouse Career Summit presented by Wells Fargo is It’s Not You, it’s Your Resume. 10 Tips to Strengthen Your Resume for Today’s Job Market by Amy Schofield. Deliver 10 tips to overhaul a resume for today's job market! Visit the NMSN website to watch the session and learn more about resumes - https://lnkd.in/giCmruE #milspouse #militaryspouse #career #employment #militaryspouseemployment

Interested in building a portable career during military life? Session 5 of NMSN's Military Spouse Career Summit presented by Wells Fargo is Building a Portable Career as a Military Spouse by Rona J. Navigating the career landscape as a military spouse presents unique challenges, but it also offers remarkable opportunities for growth, adaptability, and resilience. This talk is designed to empower military spouses with the tools and strategies needed to build a portable career that can thrive amid the frequent relocations and ever-changing environments inherent in military life. Visit the NMSN website to watch the session and learn more about building a portable career during military life -https://lnkd.in/giCmruE #milspouse #militaryspouse #career #employment #militaryspouseemployment

Ever wondered what the key to networking is? Session 4 of NMSN's Military Spouse Career Summit presented by Wells Fargo is Networking Strategies for Military Spouses by Dr. Monique Ekundayo. Navigating your career journey as a military spouse requires innovative thought, resourcefulness, patience, and preserverance. One tool that can equip a military spouse for a successful venture into the marketplace is Networking. And networking can take on many forms, luckily, for the introvert and extrovert alike. Forms of Networking include attending professional mixers, volunteering, and even attending Military Spouse targeted virtual events. Visit the NMSN website to watch the session and learn more about networking - https://lnkd.in/giCmruE #milspouse #militaryspouse #career #employment #militaryspouseemployment