Jennifer
“To me, being a woman means that I must never let the the opinion, thoughts, perspective, etc. of a man, no matter who it is, completely overtake or define me. Women have no limits as to what they can achieve.”
Jennifer is an Army veteran and versatile business professional, currently working in the electrical engineering division of Aerospace & Defense and running her own athleisure wear line, Peachtails Apparel. Her designs are a hybrid of workplace fashion and athletic attire, with the mission to build an empowered community of female consumers. She carries this desire to uplift others into her all areas of her life, continually pushing the limits of her own capabilities, proving that women and young girls have a valuable place in STEM and the military. Meet Jennifer. This is her story.
K: Please introduce yourself!
J: My name is Jen, I go by Jennelectric online! I have worked my entire Professional Engineering career in Aerospace & Defense, (I’m currently an Electrical Design Engineer on Space Satellites). I’m also in the US Army Reserves. Recently, I also started my own Small Business: Peachtails Apparel (Women’s Fitness-wear/Athleisure), our mission is to redefine Women’s Empowerment, which is a topic I feel strongly about.
I love pushing myself to accomplish things I never thought I’d be capable of or worthy of achieving. The more I achieve by simply not giving up and pushing myself, the more I want to keep pushing the limits of my own capabilities.
K: Describe yourself in your own words
J: I am passionate, caring, at times way too overly emotional, motivated, driven with extreme focus, and I have an undying thirst of knowledge and understanding. Sometimes, my strengths are also my greatest weaknesses though. I become overly engaged and obsessed with things I am working on. My constant need to want to improve things, learn, accomplish, etc., it’s very hard to turn it off. This has taken a toll on me in every possible way. I overthink, I’m OCD, I have strange phobias, I guess I just accept the fact that I’m just different.
K: What is your favorite thing about yourself?
J: My morals and values are the only thing that makes me feel like an actual human being. I guess that makes me feel honorable, and genuine. I am also a very passionate person. I love helping others, my favorite thing in the world, which I find most rewarding is to walk someone through something I may have struggled with. I love to teach and mentor. Always pay it forward.
K: Tell us a story. Have you had an experience that’s defined you or made you stronger?
J: To many people’s surprise, getting through Army Basic Combat Training, (as lame as it may sound), was one of the hardest things I have ever had to accomplish. I have a strange phobia, which is loose human hair. I used to gag at the sight of foreign human hair anywhere, deem a place “dirty” and tainted. Not sure why or when it started, it’s always bothered me. At basic training, I not only could often not do anything to help this situation other than just completely try to ignore it, but I had to just “get over it,” temporarily overcome it. I still can’t believe I not only did just that, but that I also kept it so under wraps that no one around me even knew it was one of my biggest fears. To me, that’s probably one of the few times I have actually felt truly mentally strong. I used my “why” to fuel the strength I needed to overcome a weakness I’ve always had.
This phobia still exist, but this experience definitely allowed me to better manage it.
K: What is one piece of advice you would give to your younger self?
J: Honesty, true and hard to hear honest words — that is one of the only truly priceless gifts you can ever receive from someone. Cherish those that give it to you with no reservations. No matter how different/opposing/etc. someone else is, you should always find it in you to listen more than you speak. There is always something you can learn from someone else, even if it’s just a different perspective.
K: What does being a woman mean to you?
J: To me, being a woman means that I must never let the the opinion, thoughts, perspective, etc. of a man, no matter who it is, completely overtake or define me. Women have no limits as to what they can achieve. We are capable of not only doing anything a man can do, but we can undoubtedly already do much more than any man, simply because the act of producing more men by birth has been entrusted into the role and responsibility of being a woman.
K: Who is one woman that inspires you? What would you say to her if she were here now?
J: My mother of course, is my biggest inspiration. She is still a big part of my life and I am extremely grateful for that. I wish I had made her a bigger part of my life much sooner, but regardless, I eventually came to realize it and it was not too late. Often, we look far and wide for people that can motivate or drive us, and it’s a shame we don’t realize sooner rather than later that the greatest source of that is always from someone that is closest to you.