TO PROFESSIONAL
Learning to Say No
If you want something done, ask a busy person, right? In a society connected at out fingertips, it is easy to always be a “Yes” person, especially if you are a people pleaser. During my three years as Ombudsman, I was exposed to a lot of volunteer projects and opportunities in our community. Sometimes, I failed to properly review what would be expected and was stretched a little too thin while trying to balance deployments and family obligations with working and Ombudsman responsibilities. I had to learn to screen each opportunity and determine if it would be personally fulfilling and align with my goals. Many times this meant saying “no.” I learned it was ok to say “no” when opportunities did not align with my own needs and goals.
The Take-Away
Over the course of 15 years, many opportunities have presented themselves. I have learned that what we were told is true: we can be anything we want to be when we grow up (and volunteering can help us get there), but it took growing up to realize I cannot be everything. Navigating which opportunities to say “yes” to while balancing the demands of our lives’ seasons and the ever-increasing need to embrace constant flexibility can be rewarding. All volunteer opportunities will not help you meet your goals, but the right ones can lead to professional success.
In 2013, April assumed duties as the Education Services Facilitator and the Ombudsman Program Coordinator, Deployment Programs Coordinator, and Life Skills Educator. April also serves as a Fleet and Family Readiness Virtual Facilitator and Producer in the FFSC’s virtual classroom. April also produces and hosts FFSC’s “Military Neighbors,” a community cable television program on skills for living. April volunteers for COMPASS, a spouses mentoring spouses program. She was recently honored as a base level 2015 Armed Forces Insurance Military Spouse of the Year.
April holds a B.A. in Political Science and is currently an Education Services Facilitator (ESF) at Fleet and Family Support Center (FFSC).
Focused on empowering service members and their families to thrive in military culture, April’s passion is fueled by 15 years of personal and professional volunteer experience with Family Readiness Programs.
She served as the Ombudsman for the USS MIAMI (SSN 755) from 2009-2012 before joining Government Service and accepting a position as the Exceptional Family Member Program Liaison for SUBASE.