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Air Force Academy hosts State Dept. gender forum

Cadet 2nd Class Camaren Ly talks to an audience of influential women visiting the U.S. Air Force Academy Oct. 19, 2018. Ly was on a panel of Academy women who spoke to their international guests during the U.S. State Department’s International Visitor-International Leader Program event. (U.S. Air Force photo/Trevor Cokley)

Story by Ray Bowden, Oct 25, 2018

U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. — Several influential women from outside the U.S. stopped by the Air Force Academy Oct. 19 to talk about gender issues with a panel of Academy women.

“They were women leaders from Spanish-speaking nations looking for ways to address gender-related issues within their fields,” said Capt. Jessica Ullom, a physics professor at the Academy and panel member.

The event, “Women Leaders: Promoting Peace and Security,” was part of the State Department’s International Visitor-International Leader Program, and featured a panel of Academy officers, a senior noncommissioned officer and a cadet who fielded questions from the guests.

The program examines the roles of women in political transition, conflict prevention and peacemaking efforts, according to the State Department.

The 10 international visitors included a senior police official from Belize, a senior prosecutor from Ecuador, an international affairs advisor form Chile, and seven others.

“The shared combination of culture, language, policy and womanhood broke the language barrier,” said panel-member Cadet 2nd Class Camaren Ly.

Ly said her gender hasn’t affected her Academy experience, but comments from the visiting women indicate that progress in the gender-equality is still needed across the world.

“There’s always room for improvement,” she said. “We’re not where we need to be [globally], as demonstrated by the women’s comments and experiences, as well as the U.S. statistics of women in senior leadership positions in the military and in society.”

Ly told the visitors she had plenty of women-leaders at the Academy to admire, including Brig. Gen. Kristin Goodwin, the commandant of cadets.

“She’s amazing,” Ly said, referring to Goodwin’s accomplishment’s as the first woman to lead the 2nd Bomb Wing at Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana, her talents as a command pilot and achievements in leading the military training and day-today activities of the Academy’s 4,000 cadets. “Even if people don’t consciously recognize that General Goodwin is a star, they recognize her achievements and abilities and know ‘“it’s normal.”’

Ly is aware she’s a role model for women as well, she said.

“I’m a role model to my two little sisters and to whoever wants to look at me and see that I’m a woman at the Academy and treated just like a man,” she said. “It feels good knowing I’m helping change the culture and promote the idea that women are warriors too.”

Ullom said one question asked by an international guest brought the women together: “Why must women, whether or not they’re competing, tear each other down instead of promoting each other?”

“I loved this question because it left every woman in the room with the resolve to support, mentor and encourage each other,” she said.

Ly said she’s pleased with the level of respect and camaraderie shared by cadets.

“We all work together and it doesn’t matter if you’re male or female,” she said. “We’re all on the same team and regardless of your squadron commander’s gender, their vision holds equal weight. From a professional ‘leadership lab’ way, that’s the most important kind of integration and learning — the kind you don’t even have to think about when it’s happening.”

Women sit around a table as part of International Visitor-International Leader Program

A panel of U.S. Air Force Academy women speaks with influential women from outside the U.S., Oct. 19, 2018 at the Academy. The stopover by the international women was part of the U.S. State Department’s International Visitor-International Leader Program. (U.S. Air Force photo/Trevor Cokley)