Spotlight
Connie Moore
Connie Moore is originally from a small town in Montana. She is currently fulfilling a 6 year commitment in the California National Guard as a Supply Specialist. Connie is pursuing a Bachelor of the Arts degree in Communication Studies. She has been on the Women’s Rugby team at Sac State for four years. Connie is also a member of Lambda Pi Eta, a national honor society for Communication Majors. She is expected to graduate Spring 2013. Future goals include writing a book, and becoming a motivational speaker.
Previous Spotlight Featured Student Veterans
Joy Lowe
Joy Lowe hails from Longview Texas, where she was born and raised. She spent 10 years in the Air Force as a Medical Laboratory Technician and received an honorable discharge. During her time in the Air Force she was stationed at bases in Texas, Colorado, and Nevada. Joy received her Associates of Science degree from the Community College of the Air Force in 2004 in Medical Laboratory Technology. She is currently pursuing her BS in Forensic Biology with a proposed graduation date of Spring 2013 and also is slated to receive a BS degree in Sociology from Colorado State University Pueblo in the summer of 2012. Joy is also currently an Air Force spouse. Her husband of 13 years has been in the Air Force for 14 years. Joy’s career goals include working in OSI (Operation of Special Investigation) with the Air Force, the FBI crime lab, or perhaps a county coroner’s office.
Kelly Chiolan
There isn’t one distinct memory from my time in the USAF that really stands out in my mind. For me, it’s more like a collection of exhilarating, comedic, entertaining, and perhaps, occasionally inappropriate times that I shared with some amazing friends I made along the way. Though my life has taken me in a different direction since my separation from the Air Force in October 2009, I still consider the friends I made in the military to be my second family.
Like many other young airman, I enlisted right after graduating high school in New Jersey and shortly thereafter made my way out to Travis AFB. Knowing that active duty
KC-10 boom operators could only be stationed in either NJ or CA, I chose to put Travis at the top of my “dream sheet.” As the Distinguished Graduate from my Basic Boom Operator Course, I was awarded the first assignment I chose. I arrived in California in April 2006 and after a year of training became a fully qualified in-flight refueling operator. Finally, I got to live my dream of getting paid to travel the world.
Of course, traveling the world also means deploying, so I spent quite a bit of time in Southwest Asia. But I also got to see Japan, Singapore, Thailand, Spain, Germany, Qatar, and many other countries, as well as parts of the United States that I had never visited before. Everywhere I went was another page to add to my book of memories. Whether I was running backwards into palm trees, drinking sangria at a cafe in Sevilla, or almost landing on a man walking across the runway with a wheelbarrow, I had a great time with some of the most professional, talented, and yet hilarious people I have ever met.
As much fun as it was, I decided to turn down a position to become an instructor and separate from the Air Force in October 2009. At the time I was unsure of whether or not being a boom operator was something I wanted to continue to make a career. I began studying Psychology at Sacramento State, but I still missed many aspects of the military. I missed the close group of friends I had made and the camaraderie, so I joined a sorority. I missed traveling the world, so I studied abroad. Even after joining Alpha Chi Omega and moving to Australia for a semester, I still miss what I consider to be the most amazing job ever.
Next May I will graduate from Sacramento State and return to the east coast where I plan on joining the Air Force Reserve before pursuing my P.h.D. in Clinical Psychology. I’m still extremely passionate about traveling, and I can’t wait to make all new memories with my friends in the world’s finest Air Force.
N.K.A.W.T.G. (Nothing Kicks Ass Without Tanker Gas)
Alejandro Holguin
Alejandro Holguin joined the Navy on January 14, 2004. His initial duty station was in Jacksonville, Florida, at Naval Station Mayport, where he served aboard the USS De Wert FFG-45. There, he attended to ship structural maintenance and preservation, and assisted in operational tactics and maneuvers until December 2005. During his time aboard ship he was deployed to regions of Central and South America on operations that worked toward preventing narcotics trafficking.
Upon leaving the USS De Wert, Alejandro changed jobs to be a Religious Program Specialist (RP). He then was stationed in Oceanside, California, where he was assigned to Headquarters and Support Battalion Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton. There he served alongside Marine Corps units providing support to chaplains of all faiths, and took part in command religious activities and physical security for chaplains during field exercises and in combat environments. Alejandro deployed to Iraq in September 2008 as an Individual Augmentee (IA) assigned to Regimental Combat Team One (RCT-1) in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Alejandro was honorably discharged from the Navy on June 13, 2009. Alejandro is a husband and a father of two. His educational goals include finishing a degree in Social Science and pursuing potential careers back in the military, working with veterans, or teaching.
