An Introduction- Lucy Martin

Greetings from Lucy Martin!

Hello everyone, I am currently a full-time student through Penn State World Campus using my G.I. Bill from my time in the military. For now I also work part-time at a local coffee house for extra cash. As mentioned, I was in the Air Force for five years and separated to follow my educational goals. My husband is still active duty Air Force and we recently moved to Cherry Hill, NJ through my husband’s military orders to McGuire AFB. We had been stationed at Little Rock AFB, AR for four years prior to our move to NJ. We were excited for the move as it brought us closer to family. I grew up in Lititz, PA (about 1.5 hours from Cherry Hill), and most of my family is still there. After my time in the military I have really been focused on school, so my professional life has been on hold. I feel very fortunate that I could do this given my husband’s job and the fact that we have not yet started a family. However, I have been putting my resume out there and looking at options given the fact that I will be graduating in May. My goal is to work for a company that is affiliated in some way with the welfare of animals. My long-term goal is to find a career that I enjoy to the point of it not feeling like work. Another life choice I recently made that could fall under long-term goal is to buy more items made in America. While that is not always easy, I have at least tried to stop buying items from China. I actually bought my nephew a toy recently for Christmas. I searched high and low and finally found a big plastic school bus made in the U.S. It’s hard, but not impossible.

Most of my leadership experience comes from my time in the military. However, I have been able to apply those lessons and experiences in every aspect of my life. I believe it is important to understand that leadership applies to all different aspects of your life. I also think you can learn the most about your leadership by interacting with leaders who are different from you. Every leader has walked and continues to walk a different path than yours, but their steps may help you in your own journey. I’m not sure that I have a favorite leadership quote, but there are a lot of great ones out there. My favorite ones are those that allude to the fact that leadership is not about one person. Leadership is so much about the relationships between people and how one person influences the next. I also like quotes on the strength of leaders, because I feel that leadership is not always easy. A person who steps up to the plate when the odds are against them is a real leader in my opinion. In other words, a true leader will not just lead when it is convenient.

Now I will delve into a few fun facts about myself. My husband and I only have two furry children for the time being, Penny and Boo Boo. Both are miniature dachshunds, one short-haired and one long-haired. As far as special interests, I do enjoy doing art from time to time. I went to art school for a year before the military and found that I just enjoyed it more as a hobby. I mainly paint with acrylic and draw with pencil and charcoal. I also have a huge interest in sign language. Once I graduate in May I plan to take classes to become fluent in the language. An unusual hobby that I wish I could afford is interior decorating. I love designing and furnishing my house. My next project, once we save up, is to do our master bedroom. Needless to say, I watch HGTV religiously. Overall, I’ve tried to make it a goal to experience as much as I can in my life. I’m always making new goals, and even if I don’t realize all of them, it is good to have them. I am thankful for what I have today and hopeful for what I will have in the future.

-Lucy Martin