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How did I get here?
Tales of Military Spouse Success
Danielle,
Research Analyst for BBB & Retired Military Spouse
1. What is your Military Service Affiliation? My husband served in the Army for almost five years and deployed five times – twice to Iraq and three to Afghanistan. Then, he did nearly two years of National Guard duty in a unit down the street from where I grew up. Patrick and I have known each other our entire lives. Our parents were best friends, and I always had a crush on him growing up. I was his pen-pal during basic training and on his first deployment. He finally got the hint when he came back from Iraq. He asked me out, and shortly after that to marry him. We’ve been married for eight years and have a 19 month old.
2. How long have you been a military spouse? Five years. However, the responsibilities of a military spouse do not necessarily stop after they get out of the service. The same strength, resilience, determination and support that we bring continues during the transition back to civilian life, helping them during their road to recovery, or living life with a “new” normal.
3. Where do you work, and what do you do? I am a Research Analyst at the BBB Wise Giving Alliance. We help donors make informed giving decisions and promote high standards of conduct among organizations that solicit contributions from the public.
We produce reports about national charities, evaluating them against comprehensive Standards of Accountability.
4. Tell us about how you got to where you are in your career. Growing up in a single-parent household, I realized the importance of hard work, determination, and the value of a good education. In undergrad, I worked two to three jobs to pay for expenses not covered by my academic scholarship. One job I had for five years was at a law firm. I wanted to be a lawyer since the second grade because I wanted to help people, so I thought being exposed to the law and its inter-workings would be helpful in my career path. It was! I realized that a better opportunity for me to help others was to get my Masters in Public Administration with a concentration in non-profit management. Being a military spouse, I really wanted to help people in our community, so I sought out opportunities to do so.