My Professional Edge - Sandra Gaston

Sandra Gaston
Equal Opportunity Program Manager, U.S. Army Materiel Command
Keller degrees: Master of Business Administration (MBA), Master of Human Resource Management (MHRM)

My career

As Equal Opportunity Program Manager for the United States Army Materiel Command (AMC), I'm responsible for ensuring that the 1,500 soldiers assigned here are treated fairly and equally at all times, as well as increasing the cross cultural awareness for 2,000 civilian employees. I do this by coordinating, planning, and executing nine special and ethnic observances throughout the year, including disability and sexual assault prevention, education and awareness.

Human relations and diversity training is also conducted every quarter for all employees and soldiers, helping reduce inappropriate behaviors, discrimination, and harassment in the workplace. Employees' and soldiers' knowledge about themselves and others have increased significantly due the awareness and training that I provide throughout the year, and the overall command climate has improved as a result.

Making soldiers

One of my Army assignments was as a drill sergeant responsible for transforming civilians into lean, mean, fighting soldiers. I molded over 2,000 civilians into soldiers prepared to protect and defend the U.S. constitution. During that time I was selected as drill sergeant of the cycle by my peers who affirmed that my soldiers were among the best in physical fitness, weapons qualifications, warrior tasks, discipline, drill and ceremony, military courtesy, first aid, unarmed combat, confidence courses and other areas. Although I was tough, I was fair to all.

I still receive many thanks from the soldiers I trained. Many are doing well at their present locations and thank me for the way I trained them. At the end of my tour I was honored with the Meritorious Service Medal for my ability to lead, train, and transform.

Civilian readiness

I will be retiring in the next few months after 20 years in the Army. The Keller MBA and MHRM degrees enable me to be much more competitive when I seek civilian employment. I have gained many disciplines, experiences and special skills from my military service, but the Keller education and tools has increased both my knowledge and my confidence in ways that will give me an edge in the employment market.

Fitting education into Army life

Army duty requires a lot of moving around the world, so I was looking for a school that would give me a challenge along with the flexibility to complete my studies anywhere, anytime. Keller offered a curriculum that was very realistic curriculum. Instructors equipped me with the tools and knowledge needed to succeed in the business world today. The overall program was very demanding and thorough.

The Keller graduate degree program was tough but I came away from it with two master's degrees. The curriculum provided me with the tools to completely learn and apply that knowledge to the real world. Instructors communicated the information in a very effective format. For example, one statistics professor provided realistic homework problems that allowed me to effectively apply the tools to my job.