Women’s History Month 2023 - Celebrating Women Who Tell Our Stories / Family Who Inspired Me - Jennifer Carino

Photo By Frances Seybold | Women’s History Month provides the Army and our nation the opportunity to celebrate the vital roles women have played in American history and spotlight inspirational women who are shaping our future. One such woman is Jennifer Carino, a recruiting program manager with the Army Criminal Investigation Division. This year’s theme is “Celebrating Women Who Tell Our Stories.” Carino’s family story certainly celebrates strong women making a difference for future generations.  

QUANTICO, VA, UNITED STATES

03.15.2023

Story by Frances Seybold 

Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division

Women’s History Month provides the Army and our nation the opportunity to celebrate the vital roles women have played in American history and spotlight inspirational women who are shaping our future. One such woman is Jennifer Carino, a recruiting program manager with the Army Criminal Investigation Division. This year’s theme is “Celebrating Women Who Tell Our Stories.” Carino’s family story certainly celebrates strong women making a difference for future generations.

Carino has enjoyed remarkable success in her education, career, and raising a family. She owes much of that success to the dedication of her grandmother and mother who served as strong role models in the home and pursuing their education and careers, with some sacrifices along the way. Carino is a Filipina American and the first generation in her family to be born in the United States - Woodbridge, Virginia, to be exact. But that is not where her story begins. For that, we need to travel back to learn how her grandmother and mother laid a solid foundation.

Carino’s mom, Jesusa “Jessie” Dulay Carino, a nurse, came to the U.S. in 1973 with a group of 21 registered nurses, who earned their nursing degrees at Philippine universities, to support the demand for patient care in Memphis, Tennessee. She later moved to Rhode Island, where her mother, Carolina Yaranon Dulay, had already immigrated to. In 1977, Jessie went back to the Philippines to get married. When she returned to the United States, she was pregnant with Carino. Her husband had to stay behind in the Philippines until 1980 to complete his Philippine Army service commitment. Jessie and Carolina soon moved to Woodbridge, Virginia, where Carino was born.

For Jessie to continue her nursing career, Carolina gave up her job so she could serve as Carino’s full-time caregiver. “This way, my mom could focus on her job without worrying about me too much since she knew I was in good hands with my grandma,” explained Carino.

From an early age, her parents taught her that to succeed in life, she needed to have a good education. Her mom was there to help with homework and school projects when needed. Every morning, without fail, even if Jessie did not get home until after 1 a.m. when her hospital shift ended, she would wake up early to make breakfast for Carino and her brother and make certain they caught the bus on time.

“It was never a question of if I went to college, but when I went to college. I focused on school and graduated high school in the top 10 out of 400 students,” said Carino.

She graduated from William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology, and spent more than seven years working at the American Red Cross National Headquarters in their Corporate Diversity and International Services Departments. While working, she earned a Master of Public Administration degree from George Mason University.

A career move took Carino to the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, where she served as an internship program specialist. It was during this time when she became pregnant with her first child. In an act of paying it forward, Jessie retired from her career to care for her grandchild, just as Carolina had taken care of Carino. As the family grew, Jessie cared for both children during the workday until they were old enough for preschool.

Carino’s next career move would be to Army Criminal Investigation Division, joining in November 2022 as the recruiting program manager. She is tasked with developing the agency’s recruitment plan and putting it into action. She said she was attracted to CID due to the transformation the agency is going through.

“It gives me the opportunity to make a lasting difference with the agency and set the tone for its recruitment needs in hiring the future leaders of CID,” said Carino.

Carino knows the law enforcement career field has historically been male dominated and women may feel it is still hard to get into the field. But, with the right mindset and recruiting strategy, she believes CID can ensure to be a leader in the advancement of gender equity and equality.

“I think it is helpful when females see females in the careers they are trying to attain. This lets them know that they, too, can fulfill their dreams and have the career they want,” said Carino.

She brings a unique perspective to law enforcement recruiting because she is not a special agent or criminal investigator.

Carino explained, “Often at recruiting events, when individuals see a law enforcement agency, they dismiss it and say, ‘this isn’t for me, I don’t want to carry the gun and badge.’ I would reel them in to come and talk by saying ‘I’m not a special agent. We have a lot of different career opportunities that do not require you to carry a gun and badge.’”

She does encounter many individuals who are interested in carrying that gun and badge and she provides them basic information about the qualifications and then turns them over to a special agent who can explain, in depth, the day-to-day responsibilities of a CID Special Agent.

Carino shared she is here today because her parents decided to immigrate to the United States. They came here to have a better life and raise children who would have more opportunities than they could have had in the Philippines. Even though her mom was great at numbers and always wanted a career as an accountant, she knew that going into nursing would be her way of coming to the United States. Jessie set aside her aspirations so that she could have more opportunities in life and could better support a family when that time came.

“I admire my mom for having the courage and strength to leave behind her homeland and start somewhere new just so she could have better opportunities for herself and for her future family,” said Carino.

She believes she would not be who she is today if her mom was not constantly by her side. Jessie always encouraged her to be the best she could be and to find her own way. She found the right balance of teaching what it means to be an American but at the same time hold true to Filipino values. She supported Carino when she decided not to become a lawyer or doctor, which was the stereotypical career everyone expected her to follow.

Carino said, “I could go on and on about what a role model my mom was, but I think it can be easily summed up in something she constantly portrayed throughout my life: she’s a fighter. Following her example, I will continue fighting any obstacles and challenges that come my way so that I can lead the best life possible and provide the opportunity for my children to have their best life possible too.”

• Date Taken: 03.15.2023
• Date Posted: 03.23.2023 13:53
• Story ID: 441039
• Location: QUANTICO, VA, US