THE achievements of women in a variety of work fields have been noted time and time again.
And in an effort to break the glass ceiling, more women are now breaking into more male-dominated fields.
For Captain Samantha Morrison, joining the United States Air Force (USAF) was a decision that changed her life.
A public affairs officer with the USAF, Capt Morrison joined the air force in 2009 after she enrolled in the Air Force Academy in the US.
“This is a commissioning program and you need four years of college and then you come out as an officer in the air force,” the 26-year-old says.
Capt Morrison says she chose a career in the air force after her family could not afford college.
“I really wanted to go to college and this was a way to help with the finances. I’ve got seven younger brothers and sisters so I wanted to set a good example for them and it worked out.
“Four of my siblings are now in the air force as well. I like to think I motivated them to join — two sisters and two brothers are a pilot, a doctor, a maintainer and an intelligence officer, and I hope the rest of the little ones will do the same.”
Originally from Virginia, Capt Morrison says she attended college in Colorado and after entering active duty, she was stationed back on the East Coast.
Presently she is stationed in Japan. Earlier this month she was in Fiji as part of a team of US military personnel on a humanitarian project.
“I’ve been all over the Pacific and now Fiji which is the best and I’ve met lots of nice people and made lots of new friends. We work really hard but it’s worth it.
“When I first joined, it was scary. I wouldn’t say being a woman in the air force made it scary but because I like to prove myself and not fail at anything.
“My dad was really hard on me and he encouraged me to prove that I could do all the things that the boys could do.
“That’s how I’ve treated the air force and they consider us females as equals and really that’s how the air force treats us too which is great.
“There are same expectations for everyone and so that has really pushed me and every other person to be better and what we want is to help people. When you have a good motivation, makes it easy to work hard.”
While in Fiji, Capt Morrison and her team, who were part of the Pacific Angel project, provided humanitarian assistance in the form of general medicine, optometry, physiotherapy and dentistry.
“We were also fixing five different schools and making improvements on plumbing, the roof structures, outlets, electricity and lighting. Generally we’re working to improve the safety and conditions of all schools to meet local codes.
“I think just being in the air force feels empowering. We have these opportunities and everyone on this trip is the best of the best and we’ve bonded as a team, not only as the US Air Force but the navy, marines, army, the Republic of Fiji Military Forces and Australian Air Force.”
She says young women have the capability to achieve great things.
“To young women, I would say pick a goal you think is out of reach and work towards it.”
