Bari Wald
Area Programs Manager
USO Okinawa
Milestones
My road in life has taken me all over.
Made it through college. At one point I worked five jobs while taking a full load. #exhausted!
Returned stateside and worked in military admissions at a major university. This lasted four years.
Took advantage of an opportunity to perform overseas for the troops with Cheerleaders of America.
Moved back abroad to Okinawa, Japan where I now work for USO Okinawa and love every moment!
Decided to start my own troop entertainment and support non-profit. Also worked for TASER Intl.
Left TASER to live out goal of living abroad. Taught English in South Korea. Also ran my non-profit.
Keep following my journey
Education
High School
Horizon High School
Horizon High School
Career
Area Programs Manager
I plan, design, and execute events & programs for service members and their families.
Career Roadmap
My work combines:
My work combines:
Non-Profit Organizations
Armed Services
Helping People
Day to Day
A great day is a day where I have to remind myself to stop and stay hydrated! It's a day where I call my husband and tell him to eat dinner on his own because I don't know when I'll be home. It means that we (my team and I), are running at full throttle planning for, or executing an event or program. It means that I'm ensuring our mission of keeping service members connected to family, home and country, is accomplished. It means putting smiles on the face of someone far from home.
Advice for Getting Started
Here's the first step for college students
Start volunteering now! Volunteer at a few places and try a wide variety of things to see what fits your style. You may find you are more business operations minded, or you like numbers so non-profit accounting is right up your alley. The most important thing is that you start giving your time so you will appreciate the volunteers that give you their time in the future.
Recommended Education
My career is related to what I studied. I'd recommend the path I took:
Hurdles
The Noise I Shed
From Family:
"You'll probably end up just a trophy wife."
