911爆料

Seven years ago, Mercedes Acu帽a攎ilitary spouse and mother of three攅arned the Adult Learner of the Year Award from the American Council of Education. It was a prestigious honor accepted by Acu帽a at ACE Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.; for the Excelsior student and now alum, it augmented an education that was the fulfillment of a lifelong dream.

It was also just a stop on a continuously shifting journey, and one that continues to provide twists and turns for the former student.

淚t had its ups and downs, but I檓 glad I檓 here now,� says Acu帽a, now living in Camp Humphreys, South Korea. Working as a SHARP (Sexual Harassment, Assault Response, and Prevention) instructor, she teaches soldiers and civilians how to become victim advocates, and has been doing the work for five years攊n several places: Fort Campbell, Kentucky, where she lived from 2010 to 2015; Fort Lee, Virginia, until March 2018; then to her current home in South Korea.

And all this for a student whose nine-year path to a bachelor degree was executed from locales in New York, Hawaii, and Germany. She now in a vocation that speaks to her passion: helping people. As for the position, it not exactly what she intended when she earned her Bachelor of Science in Liberal Arts (with a concentration in Criminal Justice) from Excelsior in 2008, but it a career that was enabled by her Excelsior experience.

淚t certainly helps open more doors for you when you have an education,� says Acu帽a. 淎s a military spouse, it helped having the degrees because youe always on the move攁nd you have to reinvent yourself every single time. When employers [in every new stop] see that you have a degree, it helps.�

Since leaving Excelsior, Acu帽a earned a master in conflict and negotiation management, which has helped solidify her current role as a SHARP instructor working with families in crisis situations. Her work toward her degrees showed that she has the drive and initiative to complete whatever tasks are put in front of her.

淭hose degrees really helped me understand the intricacies of human behavior and how we all interact with each other,� she says. 淲hat I mainly deal with now is trauma and how soldiers and civilians can recognize some behaviors to attribute to a traumatic experience. The education I received [through Excelsior] helped me learn how to talk to people about things they don檛 necessarily want to talk about.�

As for Acu帽a she now talking about settling into her current South Korean home. Her youngest daughter, Gianna, will soon join her; and she has designs on pursuing her doctorate, but isn檛 certain on a concentration. For now, she appreciates the ongoing discovery her travels have afforded her, and can檛 wait to see what the future holds.

淭he journey has been awesome, and I wouldn檛 change it for the world,� she says. 淚檓 living in a foreign country, now working with a demographic that I love working with.�

Tips for military spouses from Mercedes Acu帽a

听Put yourself out there

When you arrive in a new place, it can be tough to assimilate and adjust to your new locale. Acu帽a solution to accelerating this process? Dive right in. 淚t was mainly me putting myself out there, ready to volunteer or invest time in learning new skills sets,� she says. 淵oue only somewhere for as long as your spouse is going to be there, and you have to find something about yourself to sell. It all about timing.�

听Don檛 fear reinvention

At times, transferring from one locale to another means leaving a career攁nd possibly all the training that goes with it攂ehind. But education can be the great equalizer, and Acu帽a recommends military spouses shouldn檛 be afraid to take their intelligence and, if necessary, head in another direction. 淎s a military spouse, we have to reinvent ourselves every time [we relocate]. If you continue on with your education, it will open doors.�

听Use your military resources

Wherever Acu帽a travels have taken her and her family, she been sure to use the resources攕uch as Army Community Service攁vailable through her service affiliation. She directs others to do the same. 淲e advise military spouses to look for the opportunities and resources that are out there, and use them. There are a lot out there攂ut you have to put yourself out there to discover what you want.�

听Enjoy the journey

College courses. Juggling family and work. Moving from place to place. It can all be exhausting, but Acu帽a wouldn檛 have it any other way. The life of a military spouse can be a trying endeavor, but it an exercise to be savored. 淓njoy the journey,� she says. 淎s military spouses, we sacrifice so much, so be sure to think about what you want to do in the end.�

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