By: Caitlin Hearle, American Corporate Partners
Jalisa, a 29-year-old U.S. Army spouse from New York, is learning to focus on herself again. A self-professed overachiever, Jalisa admits to “giving 120%” of her energy to her husband and two-year-old son, leaving little room to work toward her own goals.
After five years as a milspouse spent prioritizing her husband’s career, Jalisa now hopes to re-establish her professional life. She wants a career that will provide her with the opportunity to fully utilize her Master’s Degree and pursue a Ph.D., while still allowing time to care for her family.
To Jalisa, these goals are inherently at odds with one another. “Dr. Jalisa sounds great, but stressful,” she admitted. “I’m unsure about the steps I’m currently taking and need assistance with putting my life in order so my family can succeed.”
For guidance, Jalisa turned to ACP.
American Corporate Partners (ACP), founded in 2008, is a national nonprofit organization offering career counseling, mentoring, and networking opportunities to post-9/11 transitioning servicemembers. ACP’s program has a proven track record, having assisted more than 14,000 veterans with their transitions into private sector careers. Today, more than 3,000 veterans are currently being mentored across the nation.
In November 2018, ACP launched its Military Spouse Mentoring Program with the support of Johnson & Johnson and PepsiCo. The program offers personalized, one-on-one, yearlong mentorships to the spouses of active-duty servicemembers, affording participants like Jalisa the opportunity to receive career guidance from top business professionals and entrepreneurs nationwide. ACP’s new program is designed to assist active-duty spouses with finding meaningful employment and sustaining long-term careers. Spouses will be paired with private sector Mentors to discuss topics ranging from résumé building, to networking, to starting small businesses.
For the nearly 600,000 spouses of active-duty servicemembers – 90% of whom are female – Jalisa’s sacrifice in support of her husband’s service is all too familiar. Securing and maintaining meaningful work comes with barriers, including frequent PCSs, résumé gaps, and a persistent lack of professional development opportunities near bases. As a result, over 35% of active-duty military spouses consider themselves to be chronically underemployed. ACP aims to bridge this gap, supporting active-duty spouses in their transitions from employment to meaningful employment.
With help from her ACP Mentor, Jalisa has developed techniques to maintain a healthy work-life balance, advancing her career and her personal life in tandem. For Jalisa, meaningful employment is balanced employment, where she can utilize her advanced education while having the flexibility to prioritize her family life. Thanks to her Mentor, Jalisa is on a sustainable path toward supporting her growing family without sacrificing her professional ambitions along the way.
ACP’s new Military Spouse Mentoring Program is committed to assisting 1,500 active-duty spouses like Jalisa over the next two years with the help of the U.S. Army and the U.S. Army’s Soldier for Life program, as well as Blue Star Families, Ellevate Network, and LeanIn.org.
Whether you are an active-duty spouse that has recently moved locations or are considering a new career or starting a business, ACP has volunteer mentors ready to offer assistance. Sign up for a one-on-one mentorship today at www.acp-usa.org.
Spots are limited and will be filled on a first come, first served basis!