432nd AMXS officer uses crown to soar to new heights

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class William Rio Rosado
  • 432nd Wing/432nd Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

Heavy may be the head that wears the crown, but for this 432nd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron officer, the crown is but a feather from the wings that have taken her to new heights.

Maj. Jennifer, maintenance operations officer in the 432nd AMXS, was recently crowned after winning the United States of America’s Mrs. Nevada pageant on Jan. 10, 2021.

Prior to this competition, Jennifer was the first place runner-up in the 2020 Mrs. Nevada, America pageant, and wanted to take a new approach in preparation for the pageant she’d go on to win.

Jennifer decided she would do everything in this pageant her way, instead of trying to fit a mold she thought the judges would want.

“I wanted to show more of my personality,” Jennifer said. “So I focused on my new platform, and telling my story, to be more memorable.”

How would she do that? By telling her story, while empowering others to venture to new heights. 

Capt. Jay, Jennifer’s husband and tactical airlift pilot for the Air National Guard, helped her come up with the platform. They brainstormed day-and-night, and together they decided they would run a program to take women up in a small civilian aircraft and guide them in flight.

“In a normal airplane, you just sit in the back and watch the clouds go by, but when you take someone up and let them control the aircraft, it’s very empowering,” Jay said. “Flying is not a freedom most people get to experience in their life and when you give them that opportunity, it may open their eyes to something they never thought they were capable of, and we hope it opens a lot of doors for new experiences as well.”

Jennifer plans on running “Take Flight, Soar to New Heights” for the whole year she has the United States of America’s, Mrs. Nevada title, and aims to continue empowering women through a platform she and her husband hope to someday turn into a non-profit organization.

The United States of America’s Mrs. Nevada title is but one of the crowns Jennifer wears 24/7. Jennifer continues to raise her five children, and oversees maintenance operations at her squadron full-time. She also hosts live yoga classes, and is constantly volunteering in the community. She strives to be the mother figure her children can look up to.

“My ‘why’ is my kids,” said Jennifer. “Through hard work, determination, and especially through winning the pageant this time around, I'm proving to them that if you work hard for something you may not get it the first time, but if it’s something you really want, keep going and don’t ever give up.”

Jennifer challenges those around her to hold themselves for a higher standard, or to essentially live by the core value, "excellence in all you do." 

“Get out of your comfort zone,” Jennifer said. “Learn something new and continue to grow as a person, because you only have one life to live. Why not meet your fullest potential in whatever you do in life?”