Stacey Ojeda went to high school in her home state of Indiana at North Newton Jr./Sr. High School in Morocco. Today she is an advanced customer-service specialist for a company she’s been with for 20 years: Beckman Coulter. Between the time of her graduation and her taking of that job, she spent her life serving her country, already having a connection to the armed forces because of her relation to the Navy veterans in her family.
Family matters affected Ojeda’s decision to serve in the first place. She initially wanted to go to college, but then a recruiter came to receive her. After that, she went directly into the military thinking she’d work on ships.
Ojeda first went to boot camp in October of 1988 in Orlando, Florida. From there, she went to Memphis, Tennessee, for her training in electrical electronics. She scored high in her classes, so she got to pick her orders, selecting where she sought to be stationed.
Prior to taking her talents out toward the warmth of Hawaii, she learned the specifics of a particular helicopter model at a naval base in Jacksonville, Florida. Then she arrived at the base at Barking Sands on the island of Kauai. There she started working on the electrical components of the operating systems of all different types of helicopters. Eventually getting out to San Diego led to her sailing the seas on the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier.
Being stationed in so many places allowed Ojeda to do a lot of traveling. She was not only exposed to the beauty of various areas, but also able to experience serving in lands away from home. To her, instructing her subordinates on how to properly operate the systems she worked on was one of her favorite pastimes. She never went without collaborating with others, and that even gave her the opportunity to lead.
“Traveling might have been my favorite part of it all; I did get to go overseas. When I was on the carrier, I was a supervisor, so I had people working with me. I really liked teaching and training everyone on how to fix things. I was never one of those people who would leave people with busy work: I would lead by example,” she said. “There was so much camaraderie that it felt like a family.”
Serving is no easy undertaking, however. Ojeda spent time away from family for extended periods, which came with its challenges. Moreover, she was working during a time when women were being placed into positions uncommon for them, so there was this urgency to prove herself, adding to the stress of the roles she took on. She remained firm in her abilities—and being married to another military person at the time made visiting family possible and feasible.
“Time spent away from family was difficult. There were challenges with work, too, because I was working when women were being put into jobs that not everyone was receptive to. That came with this need to prove my ability and that I knew what I was doing,” she said.
When she got out of the military, Ojeda still found ways to make the most of the skills she picked up while serving. She continued to work with helicopters but in a civilian capacity. All kinds of equipment and technology requiring operations found their way to her, even after the conclusion of her service. At this point, she’s gotten to handle everything from behavioral test equipment to lasers for a computer chip manufacturer. She was brought to Indiana by a chance to work on cryogenics, and these days it’s medical equipment. Every experience has taught her invaluable lessons.
“The training and experience that I got, especially for troubleshooting, has benefited me in all ways. That’s why I learn so quickly over time, adapting to different jobs,” she said. “I’ve lived by the ‘adapt and overcome’ motto.”
Whenever Ojeda’s not busy with work, she takes great pleasure in riding her purple 2016 Harley Davidson motorcycle. Her dad taught her how to ride. She relishes the activities presented in her neighborhood as well, like concerts and festivals. She finds movies of any kind enjoyable. Here and there she’ll get out to Chicago to check out Cubs games.
Because of her concern for veterans around the world currently, Ojeda volunteers with the non-profit organization in Crown Point, Operation Charlie Bravo. She actively seeks to make an impact both on those who have served and those who may or may not have yet chosen to serve. The possibility of making a difference seemingly is something that she’ll never back away from.
“I think I understand veterans more than I do civilians, but I don’t set myself apart from civilians. Sometimes I feel some people don’t acknowledge military service, and it is really hard to see what’s happening after veterans’ service, when people haven’t really experienced a lot of what veterans experience,” she said. “I always try to get people who are interested in going into the military to realize how much they should be prepared to get out of it.”