UPDATE: Click to see Aaron Santosus Military Appreciation Video published May 6, 2024.
We're delighted to announce that Aaron Santosus, Navy Veteran, will be featured in our 2nd Annual Military Appreciation Interview Series. Santosus is a member of the Chamber's Emerging Leaders of Tampa Bay program for professionals 21 to 35 years old.
After 6 years in the Navy where his workspaces or "office" was nuclear submarines, he transitioned to civilian life in January 2023. Helping him in his transition was the Skill Bridge, Onward to Opportunity, a program that is operated through Syracuse University's Institute for Veterans & Military Families. His first post-transition job was at Junior Achievement of Tampa Bay. Today he works at Duke Energy!
He strongly recommends that transitioning service members start tapping into resources that connect the service member to the business community, like the national program at Syracuse University or, here at home, the Chamber’s Military programming and initiatives, including our Operation Partnership, Transition Tampa Bay Series and more. Stay tuned for the video series coming in May to start National Military Appreciation Month.
In the meantime, here's what the Navy veteran says about being a part of Emerging Leaders of Tampa Bay.
"When you're in the military, you're in a box - so to speak. Even when you're transitioning into the civilian sector or just out of the military, you're still in that box. You think of yourself as 'the veteran'...and may limit the jobs you look at to (be close to) what you did in the service. What Emerging Leaders has done for me is amazing! Emerge has shown me what else is out there with the networking, meeting new people in various careers. Emerge has shown me how 'soft skills' work in every industry, in every position," explained Santosus, also pointing to non-technical skills necessary to work and interact with others.
Photo courtesy: Aaron Santosus