Career Roadmap
Jenna's work combines: Business, Numbers, and Problem Solving
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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Here's the path I took:
High School
Buckhannon-Upshur High School
Bachelor's Degree
Radiologic Technology/Science - Radiographer
US Army Academy of Health Sciences
Here's the path I recommend for someone who wants to be a Management Analysts:
High School
Bachelor's Degree: Business Administration and Management, General
Learn more about different paths to this career
Life & Career Milestones
I've taken a lot of twists and turns
1.
Knew from a young age that I was transgender, though I did not know the term for how I felt.
2.
Sank into deep depression during adolescence, started drinking and using drugs.
3.
Went to college on an honors scholarship. Depression and substance abuse worsened.
4.
Dropped out of school because I was failing out. Slept on people's couches with no permanent home.
5.
Met my spouse and started rebuilding my life. Joined military to receive education.
6.
Came out as transgender and found the courage to live as my true self. Marriage is better than ever.
7.
Joined a bank well known for its positive treatment of trans workers. Started as a phone agent.
8.
Used the internet to teach myself the skills and knowledge that helped me get my current job.
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Messages from Myself:
I am a freak. I am not normal. No one will ever love me if I share who I really am. I'll never be successful in life. I may as well kill myself. I am worthless. I deserve to suffer. I deserve pain. I deserve to be unhappy and depressed.
How I responded:
I finally reached a point where I could not take it anymore. I could not continue my life the way it was going. My marriage was crumbling and I was on the verge of committing suicide. Out of that desperation came the courage to track down and reach out to the first person I ever met who felt the way I did, who knew what I was going through. She inspired the bravery to come out. That was the turning point in my life. My marriage is strong again and I am successful in my career.
Experiences and challenges that shaped me
There was a night I couldn't afford hamburger, so I ate Hamburger Helper without it. Just Helper. I didn't want to continue in that kind of poverty so I did everything I needed to do to get some kind of valuable education and a good job.
Drugs, addiction, and depression destroyed my life. It took years to rebuild, but love got me through. I met and fell in love with my wife and she helped me move on from the self-destructive behaviors that had plagued me for years.
Coming out might be the hardest thing you ever do in your life. It was for me, at least. I found the courage to get through it by meeting others like myself and realizing I wasn't alone. Isolation is your enemy. I am a proud, out trans lesbian.