Meet the Member Mondays- Kristen R.

Hi! My name is Kristen and my fiance is Jeremy (MS1, USAF). We live happily in Rockville with our vicious 3 lb yorkie, Rupert Preston.

Jeremy is from VA and has lived this military life the past 5 years living in Texas, Louisiana, and Italy. I am from NJ (no, not the Jersey shore) and have been in NC until this past year. We moved here this summer from Wilmington, NC where we met our first day at UNCW 10 years ago. After playing 8 years of friendship, and 2 years of dating, we are excited to get married on October 12, 2014!

I have my Bachelor’s in Elementary Education and my Master’s in Reading Education which has landed me a very challenging yet entertaining job as a kindergarten teacher in Germantown. I enjoy reading, cooking, drinking wine, going to pilates, and pinteresting (which I actually follow through with at times!).

This is the first experience I’ve ever had with military life style. I will never understand all the acronyms and I refuse to use military time, but when I didn’t have to personally pack up a U-Haul to move here, I knew good things were in store. The SSC has already introduced me to great friends and I am thankful for that! It’s been fun to help out with the SSC WWR Race and being nominated for Adult Social Chair is exciting as well! I can easily see how difficult this life could be: moving often, continuously making and leaving friends, trying to find a job at each new location; but I think the sacrifice is worth the reward.

I am excited to continue this adventure with my soon-to-be husband and look forward to meeting wonderful people along the way!

Meet the Member Mondays- Emily G.

Hi! I'm Emily Gregory. My husband, Tim, is a first year Army student. He was in the Army National Guard before coming to USUHS. We have an almost two year old son, named Dorian.

I was born and raised in Florida (Sarasota/Bradenton area). Tim is from Pittsburgh, PA.  We met when he was the lead guitarist in a band. They were touring the East Coast and stopped by our house to stay for a few days since my cousins were also in the band. I went to one of their shows, and what can I say, I like a guy who can play guitar! But I like a man in uniform too, so it all worked out ;) 

After a lot of visiting back an forth, I eventually moved to Pittsburgh where we were later engaged. We were married in August, 2010, and the rest was history!
 

I graduated with a BA in Social Sciences from the University of South Florida.  I worked as a Teacher for an out of school time program in Pittsburgh before we moved here. Right now, I'm going to school part-time for Photography. It's super fun and I'm learning a lot. By the way... I need some practice, so if anyone wants some free portraits, let me know ;)  Other than that, I stay at home full-time with our son Dorian who always keeps me on my toes!

The hardest part about being a part of the military is living so far away from my family in Florida. Other than that, it's been a good experience. My favorite part about USUHS is the sense of community and the family-friendly atmosphere. I'm thankful to have made great friends through the SSC.  Right now I'm using tuition assistance (MyCaa) specifically for military spouses, which is a great also a great benefit! Feel free to contact me if you have any questions about it.

While Tim is in school, Dorian and I love to get out and explore, so if anyone wants to do something, let me know! I can't wait until it warms up... The FL girl in me is ready for winter to be over so we can get outside and play! ;)

Meet the Member Mondays- Katie B

Hello! My name is Katie Bogenberger. My husband is Ken and he’s an MS2 in the Army. Right now he’s in North Carolina for his second rotation (family medicine).

We are both from California. I’m from Visalia and Ken is from LA.  We recently were married last July after dating for 6 years. Ken is prior service; he served for 6 years as an ambulance platoon leader in the California National Guard before coming to USUHS. He also worked as an officer strength manager, recruiting medical professionals to serve in the national guard.

I am a teacher and choral director. I have taught both music (grades K-12) and general elementary (2^nd grade) and directed church and school choirs. I have a BA in music education from Vanguard University and two teaching credentials. I am currently working on an MA from the University of Maryland in music education.  It is a challenge to be a student again after working full time for a few years. I miss teaching and I hope to start again in the fall. In my free time, I like to knit, read, be outside, and exercise.

Moving to Maryland was a big change for me. I love California (especially the weather) and I loved my job, my church, and being near family and friends. I’ll always miss California, but it’s fun being on this adventure with my husband. I love that Ken's schooling is paid for and it has allowed me to go to school at the same time as him without the huge amount of debt. I’m very lucky to have an incredibly supportive husband who helps me realize my dreams as well as pursue his own. The SSC has been a great way to meet people, make friends, and get answers to any questions about the military or medical school. I really enjoy helping with and attending events. I look forward to meeting more of you at future events!

Meet the Member Mondays- Emma M

Hi there, my name is Emma Matthews. My husband is Phil, he is coming to the end of MS3 (class of 2015) in the Air Force. We have two baby angels; Lily, who is 16 months and Daniel who is 4.5 months. 

I am from Ireland and Phil is from New Jersey. We met in march 2010 in Haiti while volunteering after the earthquake. When we both returned home in the summer, we had a brief long distance romance which involved a couple of extremely expensive transatlantic date weekends, before we decided to go the distance. We got married in London in April 2011 and Phil started school in July. It took me a while to get my visa sorted - I was a legal alien for the first year of medical school, but I finally got my Green Card and work permit in April 2012. 

I am a trained Occupational Therapist however, my qualifications are not recognized in the US so I plan on completing a masters program once the babies are a little older. So right now, I am a stay at home mom with my 2 little ones. I love to run and have a jogging stroller so am very looking forward to springtime when we can get out everyday. I love hiking, picnics, cooking, baking, travelling, going to the pub, concerts, plays, reading, drawing.  I also seem to spend a lot if time on FaceTime and Skype to friends and family in Ireland. Technology really helps the homesickness! 

I joined the spouses club when Phil started school and it has been a lifesaver for me. I felt very lonely and isolated when I first arrived in this country but the club and the wonderful people I met through it really helped me to feel at ease. I have made some wonderful friends through the club and it's marvelous to have people around who understand exactly what it's like to have a partner in medical school!

Things I love about the military are-

- Instant friends through SSC

- Tricare - the babies even have their Tylenol covered!! It's a pretty awesome service.

- Military discounts

- A man in uniform! 

- BHA

- The NEX

 If anyone wants to make a play date or hang out without babies, just give me a shout! We live in Gaithersburg but are happy to travel anywhere.