HEART

From a young age, if it had wires and a power source, I was interested!  As it turned out, it would take years to channel that interest into Amateur Radio, earning my ticket in a one-shot zero to Extra marathon testing session in 2016.  In the meantime, it would seem that my goal was to experience almost anything I could get my hands on in the electronics and technology fields!

 

So, in that “interim”, I joined the Army, eventually serving eleven years not in a Technology field, but in Healthcare specialties, during several years of which I participated in KY Healthcare Region 8 EOC operations (as some of you may have experienced first hand, FEMA training gets really old, really fast!).  Eventually, after earning a MS in Information Technology, I saw the light (there is a severe difference of opinion on this among my close friends!) and switched services to the Navy where I now work in communications.

 

In each area of the country where I have found myself, I have made it my goal to find a way to give back, to contribute to the communities I call home.  In KY, that was ARES / SKYWARN and in WA, that meant participation in Cascadia Rising (Pacific Northwest Tsunami Scenario) and supporting an Amateur station at a local retirement home.  Upon arriving in Virginia Beach in early 2018, I was introduced to Ira and Paula, who spearhead an effort that, as it turned out, would leverage many of those experiences (EOC operations, FEMA, Amateur Radio, etc.) into one opportunity to support the local community.  I am proud to be a member of HEART and encourage all of you to continue to build your skillset, both professionally, personally, and of course, amateurishly!