• Day 1 at the Service Women's Action Network

  August 27, 2010

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  Tags:  

  female   life   rights   women   issues   AIAD  

  My name is Lauren Glass. I am a Yearling at the US Military Academy at West Point. I was offered the opportunity to work with the Service Women’s Action Network (SWAN) this summer by the Margret Corbin Forum (MCF). The Margaret Corbin Forum is a forum for cadets and faculty to discuss gender issues in the corps and Army. The forum conducts panels, discussions, and lectures on various topics to share experiences and knowledge. Each month we hold a luncheon and speak about various women’s issues. These simple luncheons sparked an interest within me and lead me to this Academic Individual Advanced Development (AIAD), known as internships to most people. MCF relates to SWAN in that SWAN’s vision is to transform military culture by securing equal opportunity and the freedom to serve in uniform without threat of harassment, discrimination, intimidation or assault. SWAN also seeks to reform veterans' services on a national scale to guarantee equal access to quality health care, benefits and resources for women veterans and their families. Not only did I learn more and play a role in women’s rights initiatives in the military, but I was also able to apply various lessons I have learned ‘out of the book’ here at West Point to the civilian world.

   

  Today was my first day at SWAN. This morning I transformed myself from a rigid cadet to a humble New Yorker. I commuted from Wall Street and the Financial District to Broadway and 5th, which was an experience in itself. Seeing the diversity in the subway stations, on the trains and on the streets reminded me of the importance of the Professional Military Ethics Education (PMEE) we receive regularly and allowed me to apply this knowledge to real-world issues such as poverty and crime. I found my initial arrival at the office awkward, but I think that is to be expected on anyone's first. I found that simply focusing on making a good first impression was a good buffer for the awkward meet-and-greet.  I was initially given a desk to work at, a computer and an e-mail account made especially for interns. The only issue was that the computer was a Mac. I have never ever used a Mac computer! The Mac situation quickly became an “adapt and overcome” situation, as we like to describe challenges here at West Point. It simply took some fooling around with the computer for me to get the hang of it. The time it took me to figure out the computer set me back on my schedule and I was unable to complete all the work I had been assigned for the day. I was beyond embarassed by my lack of performance on the first day and I apologized profusely to my supervisor. I quickly realized that being apologetic to a supervisor was not the best way to explain my situation. My supervisor would have much rather known my plan to catch up with the work instead of hearing me go on and on about how sorry I was. Though it may seem like an insignificant lesson, I think it will serve me very well when I enter the Army as an officer. Part of learning is failing, and a major aspect of leading is being able to explain your shortcomings. Although I didn’t technically fail at my task, I didn’t finish, and can easily be perceived as a failure. Overcoming failures, no matter how small or large, and fixing them effectively is what really matters in the end. Day 1 complete, two lessons learned. We will see what the next week has in store for me!
   

  submitted by Cadet Lauren Glass on Aug 27 2010

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