Being a veteran, I understand what it was like being on the other side. You feel great knowing that you have a support system backing you up at all times.
Jessica Howard always had a dream of being able to support the Department of Defense (DoD). She watched her four brothers grow through the ranks in the military and also joined the U.S. Navy herself. While no longer on active duty, she is proud to still support the DoD community in her work at GDIT.
Supporting our country’s defense. My team owns it.
Working for GDIT, I feel a sense of purpose every day. We provide mission-critical services that support our warfighters on the front line, which is extremely important to me, having served in the Navy for 10 years.
My role is to ensure that network connectivity is available for service members in the field. We specialize in classified communications within the intelligence community and amongst the various agencies. These communications also reach the lowest level of warfighter.
Providing communications for our combat ships as they go out to sea makes me very proud. I remember being on a ship and having to call back to shore asking for assistance with communication. Being able to provide that direct support by understanding the importance of the mission means so much to me.
A wealth of opportunities
There were many people who helped facilitate my career growth. They were willing to invest time and effort into coaching me to grow into what would be my next role.
Within the Intel group, there is a lot of room for upward mobility. I started off as a service desk phone agent taking calls. From the beginning, I felt comfortable speaking up to recommend better ways to do things, bringing suggestions and concerns to leadership. I believe that showing interest in improving processes has helped me advance my career. Six years later, I am a deputy program manager of a task order.
Finding a community
I believe that every group is valuable, and at GDIT, we are all one. I am a member of the Faith and Hope ERG, which is a resource for those who practice faith in some way.
GDIT has made it possible for me to keep my beliefs close, even during the work day. It is great to have a community of individuals who want to share hope and light with each other, especially when there are dark times that are happening in the world. We share words of encouragement to keep each other going.