Photo By Capt. Amber Kelly-Herard | Master Sgt. Lisa Giedeman, 635th Supply Chain Operation Group first sergeant, and...... read more read more
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SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. -- When Master Sgt. Lisa Giedeman, 635th Supply Chain Operations Group first sergeant, was selected for master sergeant in 2008 with 15 years in the military, she knew retirement was right around the corner.
She earned her Community College of the Air Force degree as a senior airman, however, she knew if she wanted to continue her Air Force career she had to continue to educate herself.
In September of 2011, Giedeman earned her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Organizational Management from Ashford University.
"It was tough. I was a personnelist assigned to the Air Force Personnel Center working long hours, with two kids." said Giedeman. "I knew I couldn't make it by sitting in a class all evening, but Ashford had the convenience of all online classes, and I could work at my own pace. There were no time restrictions and the syllabus was provided in advance which allowed me to complete homework assignments in advance."
"In 2008, my daughter was a 'tween' and my son was in daycare," Giedeman said. "Between work, children's activities, community service and school, I recall living on lots of coffee and running on four hours of sleep a night."
In 2009, she also went through the First Sergeant Academy, becoming a first sergeant and experiencing a permanent change of station.
"It was tough, PCSing, learning a new place, having a new job where you are on call 24/7, maintaining physical training requirements, staying involved in the community, taking care of the children all while working toward your degree. There were times I wondered if I would ever be able to finish. Just when I thought I had a handle on everything, I got a deployment."
On her last deployment, there were some classes Giedeman was not able to complete based communication availability, but she returned in July of 2011 and completed her last class in August, which led to her graduation.
Fortunately, there were no financial burdens while Giedeman completed her degree with the help of Air Force Tuition Assistance.
"It was challenging to go on TA without stopping. I started in September, capped out my $4,500 a year and had roughly two months off every summer," Giedeman explained. "I took six classes a year and my tuition included books that were delivered to my house, so I didn't have to pay a dime for my bachelor's degree."
In addition to making herself proud, Giedeman is also the first person in her family to earn a degree.
"As a woman with a successful career, family and education, it is something to be proud of," the Hamburg, N.Y., native said. "Too often as women, we take on the burden of home life while pursuing a full-time job and neglect taking care of ourselves. We put off going to school and pursuing our dreams because we are overwhelmed at the thought of doing more. I want to encourage all women to dream big and never give up."
Next month, Giedeman plans on taking an even bigger step by starting her master's degree.
Editor's note: This a series of service members who have or are in the process of continuing their education. To recommend someone for this series, please email 375pa-pai@us.af.mil or call 256-2600.
| Date Taken: | 03.14.2012 |
| Date Posted: | 03.16.2012 15:11 |
| Story ID: | 85374 |
| Location: | IL, US |
| Web Views: | 49 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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