Photo By Brooks Hubbard IV | Engineer Joanna Aguinaldo of Naval Surface Warfare Center, Corona Division, poses for...... read more read more
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Joanna Aguinaldo is an engineer in the Acquisition, Maintenance, and Modernization Assessment Division, Acquisition Readiness Department, at NSWC Corona Division.
She leads the post-delivery and logistics data metrics efforts in support of the Acquisition and Readiness Combined Portfolio Assessment System, having recently moved there from the Performance Assessment Department.
For five years prior to her current position, Aguinaldo worked as an interoperability analysis lead for the Maritime Theatre Missile Defense Forum. She led teams of 12-20 coalition analysts in the Forum, which is made up of 12 nations and together, they participate in a coalition exercise every other year with their respective fleets to ensure all ships’ combat systems are able to operate together, having the same common tactical picture between all navy ships. This increases readiness and interoperability of partners for cooperative deployments.
Her success in the engineering field is prefaced by her culture and heritage, where she learned she can be anything and do anything as long as she worked hard.
Born in Manila, Philippines in 1981, Aguinaldo lived with her father and brothers until 1989. That is when they joined her mother, who had moved to Spain to pursue education when Aguinaldo was a year old. At the age of 15, and after waiting eleven years for the immigration process to finish, she and her family arrived in the United States to join her mother’s relatives in Florida, where Aguinaldo spent her sophomore year of high school. She completed high school in San Diego, California, after her family moved there to join her father’s relatives.
“I was raised in an open environment, so my parents encouraged me to do whatever I wanted to do,” Aguinaldo said. “My dad noticed how I liked messing with electronics when I was little so he led me in that direction. I liked to tinker, to repair things that were broken and I was always good in math. So the best thing was to follow an engineering path.”
After her high school graduation, that’s exactly what she did. She enrolled at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, California, graduating in 2005 with a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering.
While attending college, Aguinaldo applied for an internship at NSWC Corona through a career fair at the college. Her application was received, but in order to claim the spot when it was offered to her she learned she had to be a U.S. citizen, which she was not.
Even though her heritage and culture are very important to her, that internship offer encouraged her to apply for, and obtain, U.S. citizenship.
“After becoming a U.S. citizen, I called NSWC Corona and got an interview,” she said. “I began my internship the summer of 2004 and interned in the Performance Assessment Sensors branch for a year.”
Following her internship, she was offered a permanent position.
“I started working right away with same branch. I think it is a very exciting career because we keep doing new things and testing new things.”
Even so, she remains rooted in her heritage and culture.
“My native language is very important to me, being able to communicate with my relatives,” Aguinaldo said. “It’s special when you have that connection with grandparents, aunts, uncles and other relatives.”
Food and entertainment is also very important in her culture, she said.
“Our family gatherings always included great food, but having been exposed to Filipino culture, specifically dancing and singing, the entertainment part of it, brings me the most joy,” Aguinaldo said. “My mom was a choreographer, singer and musician. I used to dance in a dance troupe for Filipino Folkloric dancing, touring around Spain.”
In addition to experiencing international cultures in her youth, working at NSWC Corona has afforded her the opportunity to work with people of various cultures, she said.
“Diversity is important because we all come from different backgrounds. We can all contribute to the goals or the mission with our unique experiences.”
Having different points of view and diverse groups being able to contribute to the decision-making process can be very beneficial, she said.
“Trust and Teamwork, as far as a culture, a community, a family, is an inherent connection,” Aguinaldo said. “Having someone on your team who looks like you and has had similar experiences as you, helps when building connections. It seems quicker and more authentic.”
NSWC Corona Division has provided analysis and assessment for the Navy since 1964. With experience in gauging the Navy’s warfighting capability, NSWC Corona is a leader in NAVSEA data analytics. Corona utilizes networked data environments, data and visualization, and measurement technology to bridge the Navy’s data silos, enabling informed decision-making for the warfighter. Anchor to the Inland Empire Tech Bridge, NSWC Corona is located in Norco, California, with detachments in Fallbrook and Seal Beach and personnel in 14 additional locations.
| Date Taken: | 07.07.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 08.03.2022 19:23 |
| Story ID: | 424554 |
| Location: | NORCO, CA, US |
| Hometown: | SAN DIEGO, CA, US |
| Web Views: | 423 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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