Military Outreach Coordinator Helps Military-Affiliated Students Succeed at ENMU
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Jacob Bulloch
PORTALES, NM (08/22/2018) Jacob Bulloch recently became the military outreach coordinator for Eastern New Mexico University.
Learn more about Jacob:
What are your job duties?
I work to improve the student experience at ENMU for all military-affiliated students, including active duty, veterans, guardsmen, reservists and their families. I connect our military students with the resources they need to be successful here at ENMU and to meet their academic and career goals. I also work to strengthen relations with our military community, especially promoting cooperation between ENMU and Cannon Air Force Base.
What drew you to this position?
As a sergeant in the Air Force, I saw many of my airmen end their enlistments without a real plan to improve their lives after their military service. I like that this position gives me a chance to raise awareness of opportunities for my fellow veterans and active duty military students. I am grateful for the opportunities I have had through my military service and would like to pay it forward by serving those who served, are still serving, or those supporting family members who served.
What do you enjoy the most about your job?
I really enjoy the opportunity I have had to make a positive impact, both for ENMU and for the military community. It is satisfying to see that ENMU really is committed to serving our military and veteran students. I find that being able to help others to reach their potential and improving processes are the two things that bring me the most job satisfaction. In this position, I have the opportunity to do both!
What goals do you have for your position?
Painting with broad strokes, I would say that my main goal is to make ENMU a great experience for all military-affiliated students. I will advocate for our students and remove obstacles to their success.
I also want to raise awareness of what ENMU has to offer among the active duty military community, especially on Cannon Air Force Base. When I was a sergeant stationed at Cannon Air Force Base, the most common complaint I heard from my airmen, and even from my peers, was that there was "nothing to do" in the area. I think that is an itch that ENMU can scratch and I have been working with our athletics, music, theatre and Multicultural Affairs departments to promote our activities on the base.
I have even worked with the base community center to get ENMU Theatre invited onto base to showcase what we have to offer.
What is your work experience?
I started work at the age of 14 by volunteering at the Camp Geronimo Trading Post, a Boy Scout Camp. I learned how to work as a store clerk, manage inventory, etc. When I turned 16, I began working at Little Caesar's while I attended high school.
When I graduated, at 17, I began working as an assistant network administrator for a middle school in the Washington County School District in Bloomington, Utah. While working there, I had the opportunity to sponsor a computer club for the 6th and 7th graders where I taught them the basics of computer programming using QBasic; it was a blast!
When I was 19, I became a full-time missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Puerto Rico, San Juan Mission. While a missionary, I became fluent in Spanish and learned to love Puerto Rican and Latino culture. I found that I had an aptitude and passion for foreign language, which was a deciding factor in my subsequent Air Force career.
When I returned from my religious mission, I met my wife, Mary Ann, and I worked for a year as a teller at Sun First Bank in Hurricane, Utah. After that, I decided to serve my country as an Airborne Cryptologic Language Analyst in the United States Air Force.
During my Air Force service, I was stationed at the Presidio of Monterey, where I learned Korean and Arabic. At Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, I was a Korean language analysis operator aboard the E-C130 Compass Call, and at Cannon Air Force Base I served as an Arabic language direct support operator aboard several Air Force Special Operation Command aircraft.
In addition to my aircrew duties, I also served as my Squadron's liaison to the base planning organization and to the operational flying squadrons that I deployed with. While serving in the Air Force, I deployed to Afghanistan, Qatar, Djibouti, Turkey and Iraq.
