Truman Sailors Attend Women's Personal, Professional Growth Symposium

By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Leona Mynes, USS Harry S. Truman Public Affairs

PORTSMOUTH, Va. (NNS) -- Female Sailors aboard the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) attended a women's personal and professional growth symposium aboard the ship's auxiliary barge March 7.

The symposium, hosted by senior female leadership, addressed career obstacles female Sailors may face and introduced available resources.

"We want female Sailors to know they can accomplish anything," said Senior Chief Hospital Corpsman (SW/AW) Maria Fernandez, the leading chief petty officer of Truman's medical department. "A successful Navy career and having a family is possible, and it has been done throughout the Navy's history."

Fernandez and other female leadership spoke about experiences with families, pregnancies, marriages, barriers they faced when they entered the Navy, and how female Sailors can care for families and foster a strong career with planning.

"When I entered the Navy, it was a different environment for females," said Fernandez. "We want the female Sailors to be aware of things that have changed since then and all of the career opportunities for junior Sailors."

Fernandez said female Sailors can take advantage of several programs that were not established when she was a junior Sailor, including the Sexual Assault Prevention and Response (SAPR) program, family care plans, and education and special duty assignments.

Navy resources and a base of experienced female senior leadership aboard Truman give female junior Sailors several opportunities to receive assistance when making life decisions, said Fernandez.

"What affects one Sailor affects us across the board," said Fernandez. "We want to give each female the tools they need to overcome obstacles we have dealt with in our past."

For Logistics Specialist 2nd Class (SW) Bilikiss Blambert, a supply liaison for the aircraft intermediate maintenance department, the symposium was eye-opening.

"I think that in a comfortable, less formal setting like this, people can absorb and use the information well," said Blambert, who has been in the Navy for 13 years. "In my experience, junior and senior personnel are more apt to be productive if they can trust the people they work with or for."

Senior leadership is accepting of junior Sailors talking about and seeking assistance for personal issues, which helps Sailors with morale and readiness, said Blambert.

"When we're at work we are all about the mission, but at the end of the day, family is what ties it all together," said Blambert. "Knowing we can come to our chain of command with family matters reinforces that Sailors are a family away from home."

Blambert appreciated how positive intrusive leadership considers all facets of a Sailor's life.

"They're able to open their arms to us," said Blambert. "Knowing that senior leadership aboard Truman is open to giving junior female Sailors support speaks highly of the strong women who serve in the Navy."

Truman is undergoing a docking planned incremental availability at Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Portsmouth, Va.