My blog has moved!

You will be automatically redirected to the new address. If that does not occur, visit
https://usustudentspousesclub.wordpress.com/
and update your bookmarks.

February 26, 2014

SSC Wounded Warrior Run!

Today marks two months until our 2nd annual SSC Wounded Warrior Run!
Here's what you need to know:



What does the 'SSC' stand for?
The SSC stands for the 'Student Spouses Club' and we are are the significant others of the military medical students at the Uniformed Services University. This is our blog! Check out our bio on the right or find us online here.

How did the SSC Wounded Warrior Run get its start?
The students at the Uniformed Service University previously organized a run called 'Medical Students for Wounded Warriors.' When the student curriculum  changed and the run was no longer feasible for their work load, the spouses club saw a great way to grow their club and keep the spirit of helping our wounded service members.

Who is benefiting from the SSC Wounded Warrior Run?
Proceeds benefit the Walter Reed Warrior Family Coordination Cell (WR-WFCC) and the USU Student Spouses Club. The SSC provides support, friendship, and community for military student families through a variety of social and service activities throughout the year.
A larger portion of the profits will support the WR-WFCC who that coordinates all non-medical services for the wounded, injured and ill service members in the Bethesda and DC areas.We are proud to have the run focused on local heroes this year!

Who helps put on the run?
The race is entirely organized and managed by volunteers from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences and their significant others.
While our volunteers are primarily from the Student Spouses Club, if you would like to get involved with race day activities, please contact the race director at sscwoundedwarriorrun@gmail.com

Where is the run held?
The run is held in Derwood, MD, about 20 minutes north of Bethesda, at the Agricultural History Farm Park. The race is an off-road trail run on the property. Find the map of the run here!

What options are offered at the race?
The SSC Wounded Warrior Run offers 5k and 10k options as well as a free Kid's Fun Run!
The rates are currently $30 for the 5k and $35 for the 10k and each will rise by $5 starting March 30.

Join us online for more:  

Labels: ,

February 10, 2014

Meet the Member Mondays- Nana

Tropical forests have been cut down for different kinds of monoculture plantations (where there is only one species of crop in the plantation) such as oil palm, rubber, coffee, cacao, tea. All lovely animals and plants are gone and local people, who rely on the forest, may face lack of water, less food a few years after the forest is gone.

This is the background of my PhD in Ecological Economics. I do spatial analysis and map the economic benefit of the crops. I tell people where and where not to plant and what they are going to lose if they do or don't in the long run.

After my PhD I end up with working in an international agroforestry NGO, called World Agroforestry Center (ICRAF), where I met my husband. He was a conference coordinator and a researcher on Eco-health with ICRAF. He was the first guy who gave me the brightest smile in the early morning when I walked in the office.

My name is Zhuangfang Yi, 28. All of my friends, colleagues and family call me Nana. I received my PhD degree from Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) in 2012, and am now a scientist at ICRAF and also a researcher at CAS. I am originally from a very remote village, kind of inside of the tropical jungle, on the border of SW China with Laos. My husband, Benjamin Custer, is a 2LT in the Army, and is in his first year of medical school.

We lived together in Kunming, SW China before we moved to the states together. In China we biked 8 miles to the office together every day. Biking through traffic chaos and dust were the most intensively stressful hours I had been through in my life. People would drive, walk, stand, talk and bock the bike lane when we speed up. However, Ben always led the way, I was just shadowing him and kind of enjoying the chaos later. He is also the one who led us when we got lost in a tropical jungle. When we heard that USU accepted him, it was a thrill, we held each other’s hands and jumped around for while, and then we decided to get married. We had been dating 10 months and two months later I followed him to the states.

Moving to the states and being a wife is a big life transition for me, but Ben is always there, very supportive and proud of what I am doing and learning. Life is never easy, however, USU and the SSC have brought joy to our life and we appreciate it. Besides that, what his left for us is ‘to make our life easy together’, which is what we’ve been doing and we are enjoying the teamwork so far.

Labels:

February 3, 2014

Meet the Member Modays- Rachel D

Hi everyone, my name is Rachel Darling, and my husband, Nick, is an MS-4 prior service (Submarines) Navy student…graduating in May 2014! We don’t have any children yet, but one beloved cat named Taylor.



I grew up about an hour outside of Philadelphia in Boothwyn, PA, and then my family moved not so far away to West Chester, PA when I was in college. Since then, I’ve lived in Kingsland, GA, then Groton, CT, and now here! Next stop for us is Portsmouth, VA, where my husband will be doing his internship in Internal Medicine. Funny enough, almost ten years ago, I spent many a weekend down at Portsmouth while my husband was stationed there on the USS Florida SSGN 728, as were dating at the time. So the trend for us seems to be moving up and down the east coast, and who knows where we will go next!

I graduated from West Chester University in 2003 with a degree in Elementary Education, but then quickly discovered that was not my calling to be a teacher, at least not in a classroom type setting. So since then I’ve been doing mostly administrative type jobs, working with animals, tutoring, as well as a short stint at a mutual fund company. I currently work at USUHS, and I really love working with the students. It is a lot of fun to know what your husband is going through as he moves through different parts of the curriculum, and it really gives you an appreciation of all the hard work and long hours they put in to learning to be a doctor.

It is sometimes difficult to be a military spouse and finding work at each place you go, as you often feel like you are starting over each time. I’ve been fortunate to find employment each time we have moved relatively quickly, although I always like to try and take a few months off when we first arrive to a new duty station to get used to a new place, get myself settled, and meet some new people. I highly recommend for all working spouses to do that if you can, as it helps you feel more connected to your community.

My husband and I got married in 2007, and he was commissioned in 2003, so we are in the Navy for the long haul. I have enjoyed being a military spouse and getting to move around the country and meet new people, and often run into old friends at previous duty stations all the time! We are very fortunate that my husband has wonderful job security, we have great healthcare, and that the military pays him to go to school…can’t beat that for sure.

I’ve also enjoyed being a member of the SSC, and being in the role of Treasurer for two years. SSC not only provides invaluable information and resources, but it is also a great place to make new friends, and to be amongst people who are going through the same thing you are, and the members are an excellent system of support for me. Although I don’t always make it to meetings as much anymore, when I can come, I always look forward to meeting new people and enjoy catching up with everyone.

It’ll be hard to leave here, but I know that our next duty station will also have great people to get to know and bond with, to help us start the next military chapter of our lives.

Labels: