Across the spectrum of Air Force careers, airmen often progress through similar timelines: basic military training, technical education, job apprenticeship, development of leadership skills and assuming management positions.
But a noncommissioned officer in the 718th Civil Engineer Squadron here says the defining factor that makes the difference in each airman's career is perspective, which can be dramatically different as an immigrant.
Air Force Staff Sgt. Jomar Perez spent his first 19 years in the Philippines before beginning a new life in the United States. He found a job working in a department store, but his next line of work has lasted longer.
Needed a Change
"I had already achieved my dream of moving to the states," Perez said, "but I realized real quickly that [retail] wasn't for me, and I didn't see a lot of progression in it. I needed a change."
Perez looked to his older stepbrother Caesar, a U.S. Navy sailor, for inspiration, and he decided he wanted to follow a similar path of service. He met up with an Air Force recruiter and found an opportunity to begin his basic military training the next month.
"Life was so simple before I joined," Perez said. "This was the first time I was really ambitious about anything. It was a real struggle to keep up with my training, because I was still adapting to a new culture."
He left his technical school as a construction management apprentice. Emails, briefings, on-the-job training and physical training -- all of which were new to him -- became a regular part of his lifestyle faster than he anticipated, he said. And his first duty station was Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota, a landlocked location with a climate that reaches below-zero temperatures in the winter. Perez said Minot was the complete opposite of what he was used to.
Grateful for Career
Although Perez was facing a new set of challenges, such as adjusting to a new job and climate, he continued to remind himself of how grateful he was for his career.
"Every time I had a problem," he said, "I would always think about how far I had gone already, and I guess that's what kept me motivated."
As his career steadily moved in a positive direction, Perez noticed that other airmen also had unique stories.
"I kept seeing all these high-ranking airmen who were also from all over the world, especially on my second assignment." he said. "And that's when it hit me: if they can do it, I can do it, too."
A new mentality kicked in, Perez said. Rather than seeing his foreign background as a hindrance, he explained, he recognized it as a challenge that strengthened his character in the long run. Even his leaders identified with his acquired strengths.
"When it comes to adapting to a new culture, I can relate to that as well, so I understand him better than most people," said Air Force Tech. Sgt. Kossiva Akou, Perez's supervisor, "Going through those hardships has made him a better person and more empathetic towards others."
Positive Attitude
On Aug. 31, Air Force Brig. Gen. Barry Cornish, 18th Wing commander, recognized Perez with the Shogun Spotlight Award for his outstanding work performance. Akou said that recognition made Perez's confidence grow to an all-time high and his positive attitude has influenced everyone around him.
"Looking back now, I've improved so much,” Perez said. “At one point, I always doubted myself, because I didn't always feel like I fit in. Now, it's like none of [that] matters any more. There's just so much diversity in the Air Force. It's really like a family now."
Now that he has overcome the barrier of insecurities he had as a young airman, Perez said, he wants to be the type of NCO who can inspire others who are coming from similar circumstances through leading by example and sharing his change of perspective.