Staff Sgt. Lisa Williams

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Lucretia Cunningham
  • 192nd Wing

“I ended up in the Navy after graduating with my first master’s degree during the recession. When I got out, it was difficult finding work because my job in the Navy was very specific to Aegis ships. A degree in mental health and experience in the Aegis computer network didn’t give me a lot to go off of. I had the Post 9/11 G.I. Bill and with the civilian job I have now, another master’s degree just fits—might as well do it.  

I’m also a mom to a 5-year-old. I’ve needed to remember to take time for myself and keep my eye on the overall goal to keep in perspective how everything works together to achieve the goal. My son is a big motivator because I want to be able to provide opportunities for him to try different things and to hone in on his hobbies, crafts and gifts.  

I like feeling accomplished. Motivation happens at the end, but once I’ve accomplished something I like to look back and say, ‘I did it.’ Professionally, I just want to continue to excel and to always continue learning and developing. Personally, I just want to be able to take care of my family and be that role model.

The military has laid the groundwork for where I’m at; now, I’m just building off of it. I’m separating after 10 years [of military service], and on top of that foundation, will take away with me resiliency. We learn to work well with others (even people we don’t so much care for) we learn how to work with them anyway for the overall mission, to get the job done. Going on deployments and being away from family, you also learn self-reliance and how to tap into you for motivation. And of course, the sense of pride and accomplishment—I did that!” 

— Staff Sgt. Lisa Williams, 192nd Maintenance Group commander’s support staff