Norfolk, Va. – When Julianne Obedicen joined the U.S. Navy, she thought she would only fulfill her four-year contract. Now, six and a half years later, she serves as an Information Systems Technician (IT) at Commander, Submarine Force Atlantic (COMSUBLANT)—and she has a few notable accomplishments under her belt.
“I originally joined the Navy mainly for the school benefits, because I didn’t want to burden my parents with a lot of money for college,” said Obedicen. “After a while, I realized this was a pretty good gig.”
Obedicen said deploying on the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) strongly encouraged her to continue serving because she had the opportunity to travel to the Mediterranean, Dubai and Bahrain.
“IT’s can go anywhere,” she said. “As long as there’s a computer network, we’re there. So I was looking at shore duty stations and COMSUBLANT showed up.”
Transitioning from the surface fleet to the submarine community was a culture shock for Obedicen. However, she excelled in her duties there, earning the COMSUBLANT Junior Sailor of the Quarter 2018 award.
Individual commands recognize outstanding Sailors with the Sailor of the Quarter award. Leading chief petty officers nominate candidates who then move onto an oral board comprised of senior enlisted personnel. There, they answer questions on topics ranging from naval history and uniform standards, to current events and naval strategy.
“Once I won Junior Sailor of the Quarter, I competed against four other Sailors for the COMSUBLANT Junior Sailor of the Year for fiscal year 2018,” she said. “If you win that, you go up for the 2018 Mid-Atlantic Submarine Junior Shore Sailor of the Year award.”
Obedicen won both.
“I was kind of surprised I won the regional one,” she said. “During the interview, I was very conversational. I think that helped, being more personable and not like a robot.”
In addition to these awards, Obedicen was advanced through the meritorious advancement program (MAP) to the rank of petty officer 1st class.
“It was really surprising; it came to me as a shock,” she said. “I had no idea they put a MAP package in for me, but a lot of my coworkers knew and were all really happy for me.”
MAP authorizes commanding officers to advance eligible E-5 and below personnel to the next paygrade.
“The Navy takes pride in promoting the best and fully-qualified Sailors,” said Master Chief Navy Career Counselor Crystal Webb, COMSUBLANT’s Force Command Career Counselor. “The MAP program is an excellent tool that provides the opportunity to reward exceptional Sailors.”
MAP gives commands authority to shape their workforce by promoting Sailors who are ready for the next level of responsibility.
“If Sailors feel valued and see that their efforts can be rewarded, they will work even harder, which can positively impact command mission and morale,” said Webb.
Obedicen agreed the program provides incentive for Sailors to work hard and that everyone should strive to do the right thing, both on and off-duty.
“Don’t be afraid of being the person that does everything correctly,” said Obedicen. “Pride yourself on doing things right. Having that good work ethic is going to put you above your peers. Put your destination in mind, and then figure out the little steps that it takes to get there.”
Obedicen is currently pursuing a degree in nursing and plans to submit a package to become an officer in the medical field. She hopes to travel more before eventually settling down and finishing school, but said overall she wants to be where she can best serve and lead Sailors in the Navy.