Name: Sgt. Victoria R. Jaime Acosta

Age: 24

Hometown: Denver, Colo.

Marital/family status: married; no children

Unit: Papa Company, 244 Quartermaster Battalion

Title: company operations /training room noncommissioned officer

Time in service: five years

Military Occupational Specialty: 92A – automated logistical specialist. According to www.goarmy.com, 92As perform duties similar to a “freight mover.” They “oversee incoming supplies and equipment, simplify and standardize maintenance data, and raise the quality and accuracy of performance, cost, and parts data through improved maintenance management.”

Background: Jaime Acosta’s parents hail from Honduras and Mexico. She was the first in her family to join the military. “I was never one to take things for granted,” she said. Jaime Acosta describes herself as someone with “unstoppable” energy, one who needs various activities to function at peak level. “I can’t sit still, so I have to do as much as I can. With that said, I wanted to join the Army since I was little, to give me something to do outside of playing soccer, going hiking, fishing, etc.”

Her motivation for joining the Army: “I was about 6 years old when I first told my mommy I wanted to join…. It was an ambition. … I wanted something to fight for, something to say, ‘I did something.’”

Why she chose the 92A MOS: “I suck at taking tests. Although I’m a smart person, I’m a visual learner. I have to see it. My low scores qualified me for very few MOSs. …I actually wanted to go infantry, but I lost the slot …. At the time, there were only a limited amount of slots for females.”

The excitement in serving: “This is what I tell my Soldiers: ‘The goal is to get to work and learn something you didn’t know before.’”

Most valuable lesson learned: “Not everything is going to go the way you want it; learn to adjust.”

Toughest challenge as a Soldier: “The Army is changing. Specifically, we have a lot more females coming in. My toughest challenge is I may be female Soldier, but I’m more than that – I have experience, knowledge and skills. My toughest challenge is proving such.”

Good leaders are … “not afraid to teach, lead, motivate and provide guidance.”

Best thing about the Army: “The teaching moments. You learn new skills, new ways to lead and new ways to accomplish the mission.”

Her advice to people thinking of military service: “My advice to them is to open their minds. Coming in, it’s not about having problems with being told what to do; it’s about having the ambition of doing the job and doing it well.”

Her future plans: “Professionally, I want to be a warrant officer. I want my evaluation as a person and a Soldier to shine brighter than it does already. I don’t just want to be Sgt. Jaime Acosta; I want to be Sgt. Jaime Acosta whose was an instructor, drill sergeant, etc., who’s done more than her basic MOS.”

— compiled by T. Anthony Bell