HRC chief encourages girls to leadership roles

By ANDREA WALES
U.S. Army Human Resources Command Public Affairs Office
“You go, GIRL!”
These encouraging words are actually the name of a young women’s conference at Elizabethtown Community and Technical College given for female seventh-graders from T.K. Stone Middle School Feb. 10. “GIRL” stands for Girls In Roles as Leaders.
The keynote speaker for the conference was Lt. Col. Joy Curriera, the chief of the Army Personnel Records Division under the U.S. Army Human Resources Command’s The Adjutant General Directorate, or TAGD.
A West Point graduate who’s been in the Army more than 20 years, Curriera shared her insights into strength in womanhood.
Healthy self-esteem is the first step toward what you want to be in life—who you are, not just what you do, Curriera said. Build your own self-esteem, and you won’t feel the need to damage the self-esteem of others.
Make your life a “no put-down zone!” she added.
The middle-school years are probably the most critical to the development of a child’s mental health, an eminent authority on child development at Cornell University told a Senate committee. Dr. Urie Bronfenbrenner said that it’s during this time of self-doubt that the personality is often assaulted and damaged beyond repair. Crucial to this is providing a sense of belonging while reinforcing their strengths—maintaining their self-esteem.
“Put yourself in their shoes,” Curriera said. “Think about the way it would make you feel.”
Curriera takes a page out of motivational speaker Joe Tye’s book. Tye is billed as “America’s Values Coach.” Tye uses a seven-day approach to values at http://www.pledgepower.com/: seven values for seven days, concentrating on a separate one each day. Curriera said these are values to live by every day.
Responsibility: Don’t blame others for the problems in your life. “Of course, others can shape what happens to you, but you control your destiny,” Curriera said.
We deal with the consequences of the choices we make, she said. They determine the path we end up going down.
Accountability: Be accountable for your actions. “Let others be themselves. You know how it feels to be picked on so don’t choose to pick on others,” she said.
Determination: Break out of your comfort zone. “It’s easy to do what you know and not try new things. Challenge yourself,” Curriera said.
Contribution: Help others. “Contribution is not about keeping score; it’s about coming into your own and helping others,” Curriera said. “Know that, as you become that person who helps others, you are going to be the one who has help come to you.”
Nineteenth century American author Ralph Waldo Emerson put it this way: “It is one of the most beautiful compensations of this life that no man can sincerely try to help another without helping himself.”
Resilience: Bounce back from failure and rejection. “One of the tenets of career Army officers is resilience. We’re the ultimate Gumby,” Curriera said. “We move on (doing what we’ve always done) or we change our ways. We figure out solutions.”
Perspective: Look for the silver lining to every cloud. “It’s being self-aware as the good and the bad come our way. It’s knowing where we fit in that—how to deal with adversity,” she said.
One example of perspective Curriera gave is when you do poorly on a test. You could fret about it, but the key is figuring out how to make the situation better: A bad grade could make you realize that you have to study/practice until the concepts are second nature, not just do the minimum homework. It could make you ask for extra credit, or ask for help from the teacher or a peer tutor at school.
Faith: Have an attitude of gratitude. “You’re here for a purpose: Make the most of it!” Curriera said.
“It’s a pivotal time in your life,” she said. “Shoot for a goal. That goal may change, but that’s the fun thing about figuring out life!”
Curriera wanted to leave the girls with this advice: “You can make any choice you want, but every choice has a consequence. Our choices can create opportunities.”
She also had a few words of wisdom for parents.
“My message to any parent or guardian is ‘We guide our children to keep them safe, but we also need them to make their own choices where they can. Allow them more responsibility in making their own choices. Let them make their own path to find their own way.’”

Photo by Andrea Wales/HRC

LT. COL. JOY CURRIERA, CHIEF OF HRC’S ADJUTANT GENERAL DIRECTORATE, spoke to seventh-grade girls recently about assuming leadership.