Foreign-Born Military Spouse Finds Professional Home Through MSCAP Fellowship
Marie Allo, a foreign-born military spouse, had only recently moved to the United States when she began to experience career challenges familiar to many military spouses.
Though she had a background in petroleum engineering, she struggled to navigate an unfamiliar job market while juggling the demands of military life. Her husband’s Army Reserve duties were not full-time, but the frequent trips and abrupt schedule changes meant that Allo carried a heavier load at home. Eventually, these challenges led her to put her own career aspirations on hold for a period of time.
When she decided to pursue her next professional role, the career obstacles persisted. She lost track of how many resumes she sent out. And the rejection letters she received chipped away at her confidence, leaving her to wonder if she would ever find her professional place in this new country.
Allo’s job search efforts finally gained traction when she learned about Hiring Our Heroes’ Amplify program. She attended the free two-day workshop tailored to military spouses and participated in career preparation, professional development, and networking opportunities.
It was during Amplify that she was first introduced to the Military Spouse Career Accelerator Pilot (MSCAP) program, a paid 12-week fellowship that connects military spouses with ready-to-hire employers. Through the program, she participated in professional development opportunities and connected with other military spouse fellows. “I discovered a community that understood my struggles and was ready to champion my success.”
Through MSCAP, Allo started a fellowship with data center technology company Equinix, ultimately leveraging the fellowship into a full-time, remote role where she is thriving as a customer engineer. “Each day, I tackle complex technical challenges, knowing that my work makes a real difference in the digital world,” she said. The portability of her remote position also means that she no longer worries about military relocations sidelining her career.
“MSCAP didn’t just find me a job. It helped me reclaim my identity as a professional and proved that being a military spouse doesn’t mean sacrificing personal ambitions.”
– Marie Allo
The MSCAP program honed Allo’s skills and focused her career journey, but it also reignited her confidence. “MSCAP didn’t just find me a job. It helped me reclaim my identity as a professional and proved that being a military spouse doesn’t mean sacrificing personal ambitions. Now, I stand proud, balancing my roles as a supportive partner and a successful technologist,” Allo remarked.
