Former Ivy League Student, Current 94th IS Airman Hopes to Return to Harvard University

Photo By Staff Sgt. Anthony Hyatt | Senior Airman Jennifer, 94th Intelligence Squadron Standardization, Evaluation Liaison officer, perform Honor Guard duties during a promotion ceremony June 30, 2016, at Fort Meade, Md. (U.S. Air Force graphic/Staff Sgt. AJ Hyatt)  

FORT MEADE, MD, UNITED STATES

10.25.2016

Story by Staff Sgt. Anthony Hyatt 

70th ISR Wing

At a very young age, Jennifer had the dream of attending one of the most prestigious colleges in the world – Harvard University. This dream originated when the 5-year-old asked her father, “Dad, what is the best school in the country?” He replied, “Harvard,” and she responded with, “Ok, I’m going there.”

At age five, she dreamt it, and at age 18, she made it a reality.

Jennifer was born and raised in Sheridan, Wyoming. During high school, she pursued a delicate balance of academics and extracurricular activities. Her accolades and work ethic throughout high school helped pave the way to her future.

“I completed ten AP [advanced placement] classes, and with my exam scores I earned the AP Scholar with Distinction award in 2007 and the Wyoming State AP Scholar award in 2008 from the College Board,” Jennifer said. “I fit several hours a week of homework and studies between various activities including swimming, the Wyoming Academic Challenge [a quiz-bowl style event], orchestra, choir, programming competitions, math competitions and the National Honor Society.”

Getting accepted into the Cambridge, Massachusetts university can be very challenging. Harvard seeks out students who not only have high grades, but also have outstanding achievements under their belts. According to a Business Insider article, the school accepted just 5.9 percent of approximately 34,000 applications for its class of 2018.

Graduating with a 3.98 grade-point average and valedictorian of Sheridan High School, Jennifer was accepted to Harvard in 2008 and immediately enrolled to study computer science.

“Computer Science has always been a hobby of mine,” she said. “I’ve been programming since I was 10 years old.”

During her time at Harvard, she met several outstanding individuals.

“What struck me most is how passionate students and faculty are about what they do, academic or otherwise,” Jennifer said. “I had an Olympic silver medalist in my composition class and another student in my dorm had once played the violin in the White House for the President. The friendly spelling bee during the freshman “ice breaker” week was dominated by past National Spelling Bee champions. The diversity of excellence at Harvard is incredible.”

But, after three semesters, she wanted to do more.

“I immensely enjoyed the atmosphere and the academia of the Ivy League, but as I looked toward my future, I realized I wanted to serve my country,” she said.

While Jennifer entertained the idea of serving in the military after she would graduate from Harvard, the G.I. Bill made it more attractive to take a leave of absence from college, serve four years and then return to civilian life with money for school. In 2012, she enlisted in the Air Force, and when her military co-workers found out she attended Harvard, the nickname “Harvard” was quickly attached to her.

“I enlisted with the intention of serving one term, dedicating my time and energy to protecting the country, and then ‘getting on with my life’,” Jennifer said.

However, as Jennifer neared the end of her first enlistment, she discovered she enjoyed being part of something bigger than herself.

“I felt a pull to continue my career in the Air Force,” she said. “‘Getting on with my life’ was actually not incompatible with military service as I first imagined. I had a very good life in the Air Force.”

Jennifer’s first duty station was Osan Air Base, Republic of Korea, then she moved to Fort Meade in September 2015. She is now the Standardization, Evaluation Liaison officer for the 94th Intelligence Squadron.

“A combination of the people I’ve met in the Air Force and the good work experiences led to me wanting to serve 20 years,” the Wyoming-native said.

This was a conundrum for Jennifer. She couldn’t finish her degree at Harvard and continue her Air Force career at the same time – it would be too much.

“I still dreamed of completing my degree at Harvard, something that I couldn’t do while serving,” she said. “So when the Career Intermission Program (CIP) emerged a couple of years ago, I realized that this may be my opportunity to accomplish both of my goals: I can go finish my degree, and I can come back to the serve a full career in the Air Force.”

CIP provides select Airmen the opportunity for a one-time temporary transition from active duty to the Individual Ready Reserve, for up to three years, to meet personal or professional needs outside the service while also providing a mechanism for a seamless return to active duty.

The long-term intent of CIP is to retain the valuable experience and training of Airmen who might otherwise be lost to permanent separation, according to Adriana Bazan, Air Force Personnel Center CIP military personnel specialist.

If selected, Jennifer will sign an agreement that she will return to active duty in the same component from which she separated and will serve two months of active duty for every month of CIP participation. Applicants to the program should find out in late October or early November if they are selected.

“Senior Airman Jennifer is exactly the type of Airman any unit would want to have on their team,” said her supervisor, Staff Sgt. Michael, 94th IS Standardization and Evaluations non-commissioned officer in charge. “She not only gets every task done before the deadline, but she often finds ways to improve the process along the way. Multiple levels of our squadron leadership come directly to her for her expertise in both computer programs and Air Force regulations pertaining to her work. The fact that she gained this level or respect and recognition within her relatively short period of operational experience says everything about her dedication to hard work and constant improvement.”

In addition to being selected as the 94th IS Airman of the Quarter for the 3rd Quarter of 2016, “Harvard” is also proud of earning the “Exceptionally Qualified” rating as a Cryptologic Operator Instructor in August of 2016, which is historically awarded to only two percent of DCGS operators.

Thanks to her Air Force training, Jennifer hopes to resume her studies at Harvard and, with a newfound desire, add a Korean language citation to her computer science degree.

• Date Taken: 10.25.2016
• Date Posted: 10.25.2016 08:54
• Story ID: 212838
• Location: FORT MEADE, MD, US
• Hometown: SHERIDAN, WY, US