Jerima's Work
A Varied Experience in Service
As a spouse to a U.S. military career member, my job varied and allowed me to embark on different experiences. Fortunately, I feel each and every endeavor somehow ‘served’ the community and the United States. I started my career as a Software Engineer
My first adventure in the work field was at the Gulf Coast Research Laboratory in Gulfport, MS. In the area that I served, we were responsible for helping in researching the environment as it relates to the shrimping industry. In this capacity we used scientific analysis to determine what the appropriate ‘start time’ was to be in allowing for the shrimping harvest to take place in the “Gulf of Mexico”.
My next adventure took us to Omaha, where I was a software engineer at Central States of Omaha. I used my mathematical and programming knowledge to help the company setup regional health and life insurance policies and benefits, ensuring customers received the type of benefits that they were entitled to given the region they lived in.
In New Mexico, I served as a Software Engineer, working as an independent contractor that served as independent validation and verification for the U.S. government, ensuring other government contracting companies provided the services that they were responsible for in supporting Department of Defense contracts.
My final job in the Software Engineering field was most exciting and rewarding. I served as a Software Engineer where I worked on GPS systems at Falcon/Schriever AFB. This was an especially impactful role during Desert Storm.
Later, I transitioned into teaching, interpreting, and translating, roles that allowed me to connect deeply with the communities I served. My first role in this area was serving the people as a Spanish Interpreter for the Colorado Springs Municipal and El Paso County Court systems. I would attend court sessions, as requested, and ensure the communications between the court lawyers, judges, and Spanish only speaking defendants understood each other.
After that I was called to service by the Colorado Spring Community Preparatory School. Community Preparatory High School operates as an alternative high school for students who may not thrive in traditional, larger school environments with a mission to empower students to reach their academic and leadership potential while building a "Beloved Community“. I was the Spanish teacher, as well as, the head of the school’s Year Book.
My next service to community was serving as a CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) for children. I was a volunteer, appointed by judge, and served as a voice for children involved in the court system due to abuse, neglect, or severe domestic conflict, ensuring they had a safe and permanent home. I mostly worked with cases where the parents/guardians spoke Spanish. I highly recommend this volunteer opportunity to anyone who cares about children
Finally, one of the most rewarding service areas found me involved with the Colorado School for the Deaf and Blind. During this time, I served as an interpreter for the school to ensure Spanish speaking only parents had a mechanism to communicate with the school’s teachers and staff. I also did translation services for the school. I was an assistant to the Spanish Outreach Coordinator for CSDB.
