Born and raised in Miami, Florida, Garcia moved
to Washington, DC in August 2010 to work for the
United States Agency for International Development
(USAID). While there, she held several administrative
positions advising management of the full cycle of
human resources management, including recruitment
sources and performance management.
As the first generation to attend college, Garcia
graduated in June 2010 with a bachelor’s degree
in Business Administration Management from
Florida International University. While pursuing her
undergraduate degree in 2008, she was accepted
in the Hispanics Association of Colleges and
Universities (HACU) Internship Program and selected to
participate in two four-month internships with USAID.
Prior to her assignment at Force Readiness
Command in January 2020, Carla was the Supervisory
Legal Administrative Specialist at the Hampton VA
Medical Center (HVAMC), where she was responsible
for the management, design, direction, and supervision
of the Office of Care in the Community program. Other
career highlights include being the Compliance
and Business Integrity Officer for the HVAMC;
providing guidance and counsel for incorporating
compliance-related activities into the operational areas
of the hospital.
U.S. Coast Guard Academy
First Class Cadet
Abigail Valadez
1/c Cadet Abigail Valadez has made a significant
positive impact at the United States Coast Guard
Academy. Valadez began her military career at the
New Mexico Military Institute. She earned Battalion
Commander for Army JROTC unit and oversaw
the military training of four-hundred high school
students. Despite the challenge of going to a
prestigious military academy, she knew that the
Coast Guard Academy was the place that could
develop her into the leader that she aspired to be.
In her three years at USCGA, she has managed
hundreds of thousands of dollars in Coast Guard
resources, has been a leader on the rugby field and
in the pool, and helped pioneer the first virtual
Academy Introductory Mission (AIM) program.
“Ever since I was a kid, I loved being part of a
team and contributing to something bigger than
myself,” she shares. “The Coast Guard was
introduced to me by my mom, who had several
friends in the service, so I pursued the idea by
attending the Academy Introduction Mission (AIM)
Summer Program in my junior year of high school.
After that week spent at the Academy, I was sold on
the humanitarian mission of the Coast Guard as
well as the educational opportunities that the
Academy provided. I knew that there was nothing else
that I even wanted to consider for my future other than
service in the United States Coast Guard.”
U.S. Army National Guard
Major Sandra A. Wright
Military Occupational Specialty
12A, Engineer Officer
Enlisted in the Army as a Light Wheel Vehicle
Mechanic at 17 years old, Major Sandra A. Wright
loved everything about the Army and wanted to be a
part of an elite team where everyone was committed
to the same mission.
“I am extremely grateful for the life I get to give
being born and raised in the US, which could have
easily been another country where I may not have had
the opportunity to go to school, study engineering,
hold my own job, live on my own, and more,” she
shares. “Joining the Army was my way of giving back
to the country that has blessed me so much.”
Major Sandra A. Wright is an Engineer Officer
assigned to the 29TH Infantry Division and forward
deployed to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as the
Officer-in-Charge for all engineer projects in the
country. Major Wright distinguished herself as a
leader, mentor, and advocate of diversity and the full
integration of Latinas in the Armed Forces from
August 2020 to June 2021. She expertly led a Task
Force for COVID-19 Support Missions within the State
of Maryland, supporting screening at the State
Capitol and distribution of personal protective
equipment for the State Police. Leading up to the
2021 Presidential Inauguration, she served as
Joint Task Force DC’s Engineer, updating all units on
Operation Capitol Response of the engineer obstacle
plan with force protection measures around the
Capitol Area. The distinctive accomplishments of
Major Wright reflect credit upon herself, the Maryland
Army National Guard, and The United States Army.
U.S. Space Force
Specialist 4 Lesley S. Del Real
Spc4 Lesley S. Del Real is a Target Analyst & Reporter,
17th Intelligence Squadron, Joint Base Langley-
Eustis, Virginia. She provides expert guidance to a
13-Airmen section charged with the timely production
and dissemination of detailed, tailored, and
actionable non-kinetic targeting intelligence to five Air
Operations Centers, nine Combatant Commands, and
multiple national-level partners. Her efforts directly
support global full-spectrum military operations.
Additionally, Spc4 Del Real serves as a squadron
Initial Training Instructor, where she is responsible for
preparing analysts from seventeen different Air Force
Specialty Codes to function within the Air Force
Targeting Enterprise.
Specialist Del Real is from Salinas, California.
She enlisted in the Air Force as a Fusion Analyst in
July 2017 and completed technical training in
December 2017. She was selected for transfer from
the Air Force to the Space Force in February 2021.
36 www.latinastyle.com LATINAStyle V ol. 27, No. 6, 2021