Act Now & Execute Your Goals Edition: Before 2023, Create Goals by Joining The Act Now Community with Sumeya Gibril

Warriors, Fall-in! It’s time for formation.

Welcome to the Act Now and Execute Your Goals Edition. Today, I’m highlighting a member of the Act Now community who used the Act Now Resources to level up their career. So, let’s meet who we have today!

I am joined with Sumeya Gibril, who’s an Army Veteran and we’re going to learn how she used the Act Now’s Resources to her career advantage.

Contact Sumeya:
SumeyaGibril@gmail.com

Connect with Sumeya on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/sumeya-g-68a323153/

Connect with Sumeya on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/sumi.gee.982

Transcript

KP: 0:30

This episode is powered by ACT NOW Education, go to www.actnoweducation.com for free comprehensive educational resources and opportunities for active duty, veterans, military spouses and children.

Sumeya Gibril: 0:44

Transition to this new career, because I was feeling hopeless, I'm like, okay, how am I going to? Like, are they not going to see my full potential? Like I already have it, what do I need to do? So this certificate really bridged that gap for me to get into a job I didn't even know was my dream job.

KP: 1:10

Warriors fall in, it's time for formation. Welcome to the Act Now and Execute Your Goals edition. Today, I'm highlighting a member of the Act Now community who used the Act Now resources to level themselves up in their career. So let's meet who we have today. Today, I'm joined with Sumeya Gibril, who is a military veteran, she served in the Army as a 92 Golf, which is culinary arts, we're going to learn how she used act now as resources to put her career through an advantage. What's interesting about her is that she's an immigrant to the United States. She speaks four different languages. So let's find out more about Sumi. Welcome to the Morning formation. How you doing today?

Sumeya Gibril: 1:52

I'm well, thank you. How are you?

KP: 1:54

Great. And it's such an honor to have you on the podcast today. Assuming, you know if you haven't moved to the United States at such a young age, would you mind talking to us? At what age did you move? And what was that transition like for you?

Sumeya Gibril: 2:10

So I moved to the United States at age 11 and a half. I didn't speak any English. This culture was new that people were new. I came from a country where I was the majority and kind of became a minority here in the US was a lot of culture shock. And then I started going to middle school. And then within six months, I was able to learn English, like the basics just to get by. And then I went to middle school high school here. And first year of college after the semester, is when I decided to join the army.

KP: 2:56

So you started college, and then after that first semester, that's when you decided to join the army. What prompted that decision?

Sumeya Gibril: 3:04

So when I remember when I was 11 years old, on a prayer mat, things weren't going well. So I pray and I told God all I wanted to be like financially stable, and I want to be independent. I want to be able to live alone. So once I got to college, I saw how rough it was to be financially stable, being a college student. So I decided to join the military for the financial stability. Then once I joined a turned into more than that, like, Oh, I'm serving my country, I'm protecting the people. So patriotism came through once I joined. I mean, I had it before, I, just the purpose changed.

KP: 3:47

I I'm with you 150% On that the whole reason I signed up and enlisted in the Army National Guard was to pay for college, I decided, right around the time when I was an e4, the National Guard going into my junior year of college that I would take it to the next level and become an officer. Again, that patriotism that was ingrained in me growing up and then going through basic training and AIT and the camaraderie and everything that that also sunk in with me as well and caused me to sign up for more years. So I certainly understand where you're coming from with that. Now, I also understand that you speak four different languages. That was something that you learned as you were growing up.

Sumeya Gibril: 4:31

Yes, so my first language is Tigrinya Second is Arabic because I'm Muslim, we had to learn the Quran, our holy book to read it and write in it so they teach you. But speaking I used to watch a lot of Arab shows. So naturally, like I would watch it with subtitles, and I started learning how to speak it. And then from there I moved to Turkish shows. Like this happened in the US the more I watched, the more I learned and then one day I woke up and I started speaking Turkish and I understand understood them 100% And then English of course because I'm in America I had to learn English but in my home it's a very like bilingual trilingual home. So languages come really easy for me. And they've really helped me in my career and they continue to do so.

KP: 5:18

That's pretty awesome. I know only a very few people that speak that many languages but you came to America Speaking every language except for English and then you had to learn this one sort of later on in life as your last language right Now when you're in the military, I'm really surprised they didn't put you as some type of linguist or something, having that already under your belt, but where were you stationed at. And when you were in the army,

Sumeya Gibril: 5:43

I was in Camp Casey, Korea. And when I came back to the United States, I was in fourth storey in Virginia Beach. And before I would discharge, I was actually talking with the civil service to be, you know, linguist, but then my discharge paper came for medical retirement, for like PTSD, so that didn't stop, I had to leave. And at the time, I was really, really disappointed because I was like, Oh, my God, the service, the Civil Service wants me like, please stop this, you know, medical discharge. But everything works out how it's meant to be, not how exactly we planned.

KP: 6:23

Right? It's always important to pivot and with you having your early life experience with your transition from East Africa to the United States, you had to learn early on how to deal with that cultural, cultural difference in the language barrier that was out there. just like you were growing up, right. So now, I ran across a post that you put on the Act Now education, Facebook group, and you talked about how acne education helped you out. But before we get into that, I wanted to ask you, what is your current position right now? Job wise,

Sumeya Gibril: 7:08

right now I work for Descartes, it's a software solution company. And their customers are customs brokers, freight forwarders, and regular importers. So I'm using my experience previous experience with US Customs on this new job. I'm a customer representative. But they're expanding my role considering my background.

KP: 7:34

Okay, fascinating. So your transition out of the military now, when did you get out?

Sumeya Gibril: 7:40

I got out of the military in 2017.

KP: 7:45

Now, when you got out in 2017, what was your first career?

Sumeya Gibril: 7:49

I went, actually, that's funny. I was when I got out. All I wanted was for things to be the same again before I left. So before I left for the military, I used to work for AutoZone. So the first thing I did was go apply for AutoZone. And then went back to school, because same thing I did. You know, try to get back with my old friends. Just I wanted to familiarity. And then once I was in Nova, studying, one of the VA counselor was like, Hey, I know you wanted a government job. So there's this internship opportunity with US Customs. Are you interested? So I was like, Yes. First, I was hesitant, because I was a US Customs on the news was not didn't have the best reputation. But I was like, let me try it. And then once I got in with US Customs, they turned out to be really nice. I was afraid of the like racism or Islamophobia, but there was none of that. It was just like, Oh, we're gonna protect you, right? There is no like, at the office, I was at least there was no racism that you protect, they respected my faith, they allowed me to pray. They improved my knowledge and customs related, so was a surprise, a good one. But it was Yeah, I had the opportunity to do internship with US Customs. And that was all thanks to the military. Because I was a veteran intern.

KP: 9:14

I love people like like yourself, who actually take the time to understand things instead of just listening to others on what they think they are. And you actually got, you jumped into the paint and kind of understand like, the insides and outs of why customs work, and why it's there, and why it exists. So I love stuff like that, because having been grown up in Hawaii, now living in LA, but having lived in rural Ohio part of my life, I kind of understand the way people think, like the way people live culturally sometimes, like hunting, like why is hunting such a big deal in the Midwest. You know, I understand that there's a reason for that. I understand that. You know why people do things here in LA and people have so it's just one of those things where if we took the time to understand what things really were about and why they exist, then maybe we'd have more understanding and that's what I love about that story that you just mentioned right there because a lot of folks don't really know what customs does.

Sumeya Gibril: 10:16

We have appreciation once we get to know thing right, kind of listening to other people.

KP: 10:21

Oh, definitely. Definitely. That's that's very well said. We definitely have an appreciation for things once we fully understand them. When you graduated. Did that was when your internship ended?

Sumeya Gibril: 10:32

No. So for the internship, I was doing full time internship was 40 hours. Because after I applied, it took so long by the time I was pregnant with my son for six months with six months, and I was going to school full time. So I was still in a nova, like, I'm still continuing my education. But I was still going to school during the internship full time pregnant. So yeah, it was was interesting. And then like, within three months, they were like, Okay, you did a great job, we're going to transfer you into like, become an employee. But of course, the government took longer. So within 10 months mark total, I was able to be a GS nine position within the US Customs.

KP: 11:20

Oh, wow. So you decided to transition out of US Customs? And why did you do that?

Sumeya Gibril: 11:28

So I was with us customs for including an internship for about three years and seven months. I was going to ask for transfer to another department like the trade office. But that was I was really close, but it fell through. And I was really disappointed. But my mentor Christina, I met through Act Now education referred me to ACP for mentorship. And I told them my background, and she's an exact match. She has a son. She's an immigrant. She's a director of her company, which because that's where I want to be, I want to be, you know, that kind of high level, like number one in the supply chain world. I'm in competition with DHL and ups. And she she's very motivated, and she works hard. So everything that I see myself in, she was right there. So they introduced me to her and I start She became my mentor. And it was so free. It was free to so this person is a Director of Customer Success, and a car and she's given me like one hour a month. No, it was yeah, one hour a month for to mentor me. So I told her about what was going on. She was like your she was like, What do you have going on right now? So I told her well, I'm right now I'm taking a supply chain course through Coursera supply chain management. It's like five courses, I believe. And she was like, let me know when you finish that course. I did. And I told her, Okay, I'm certified in supply chain management, know what she was like, your background and customs and the certification from Coursera that is also funded by Aetna education for free. She was like, you'll be a great asset on my company. She was like, why don't you apply? So I go ahead and apply. And I hear back from them really fast. I go through serious of like rounds of interview was like three rounds. I thought I was like, What is this? I felt like I was applying for a position. But it was just different people. They were trying to assess my knowledge. And they were like, Oh, the last round. They're like on your top. What do you call it? Our top applicant? We'll get back to you this week. I don't want to be cocky. But I was like, I'm number one. And this applicant considering my background and the physician. And I was they called me within the week. And they're like, Yeah, we want you when can you start? And then I started November 14, I was really scared to leave the government because of the security. I was tenured, like I already finished my probation. It's really hard to get fired from the government. I'm a hard worker, but just kind of like the security. Right? You already have a job. It's like an everybody was like, you know how many people because I was deciding to leave. Like, you know, how many people would kill to have your job, or like, you know, hardest to get in the government. So though there were a lot of people in my head, but it was like, I'm a person who jumps in the on the deep end. That's how I that's the best thing life and life happened to me because I take risks. So I was like, Well, I trust myself. I was like, I trust my mentor. And I trust my work experience. I'm just gonna go ahead and leave the government. I did. And day one at my at the company. I was like I made the right decision. I love it here. They're very, very sweet. Very nice, very flexible. They allow me to be creative. They give me the opportunity to be creative. And they value me here. I was like, Oh my God, where are you been all my life? It's just there. They're amazing. I love it here. They're they're pretty great.

KP: 15:18

So me I love your your story there because I always tell people this I always tell people the best place to be career wise. The best place to be in life is to be able to laterally transfer to another dream position, or to a better position, without taking too much of a pay dip, or without having to lose your geographical location that you desire. And it sounds like here you were, you were happy in the government. But someone else presented a better opportunity for you. And it was all based off of the hard work and the education that you had given yourself over the years. And taking advantage of the Act Now education resources out there, because I heard you mentioned Coursera, which is one of our big components with Act Now education, we've had a lot of successful people within the military community get certified in a lot of different career fields that have the certifications have actually helped elevate them and help help them move in laterally transfer, you know, without taking that big pay dip that most other folks would have to suffer if they were to switch to a new career. And so would you mind telling us the many ways that you've utilized Act Now Education resources, presently, and in the past.

Sumeya Gibril: 16:40

So in the past was the supply chain management course, having that certification helped me get the job that I have now to kind of elevated my resume. And right now I'm working for for the certificate called Digital Marketing and E commerce. So the company that I'm working for right now, they have that to have a marketing department. So I was discussing with one of the employees about how I was giving them like my marketing ideas, and how my downtime I could help out and they were open to it. And it just shows that I'm getting the certificate from Coursera, I finished like three certificates, I have four more to go within that same subject. But they're giving me the experience within that company. And what I learned from Coursera, I was able to speak confidently with the marketing team. And thoughts are good, because I was speaking to them today. I felt really knowledgeable. And I knew what I was talking about gave me confidence, a confidence boost. So it's, it's continuing to help me that's why I would corsia first three, because at first I was like, I have to pay. What do you mean, all these courses are for free? They're like 3000, or something courses more than that. And they're like, No, it's free. So like, you know, being able to take another certificate has been really good. And especially like with this digital marketing, it's not just with my job. It's, you know, with my own like social media, because I am a social media coordinator for my son's school, I volunteer. So that also helps me pick the best time to post what the customers want, and just doing, you know, market research. The certificate continues to help me like in my professional and personal life. So there's just so so many things in Coursera, that is offered by Act Now Education that I am so so grateful for, that it's continuing to help me with my career.

KP: 18:47

I love what you mentioned about the value of the certifications, not just helping you with your career, but also helping you with your personal life. Is there anything else you think? Because a lot of times when I mentioned to people about the importance of certification, is there anything that you'd like to add to that, as far as helping folks better understand how these certifications can be that foot in the door can help you with the language that you'd be speaking, when you're sitting across from a recruiter perhaps, maybe go a tear into it? Because I find a lot of people are still trying to figure out like, what is the importance of certification? I have a degree, but the certifications can really set you apart. Would you agree with that?

Sumeya Gibril: 19:32

Yes. Because the career certifications that I'm doing is literally preparing you for the world. You know, so it's just specifically for that department. So if I'm going to start with the supply chain, I had no like, I had no idea what supply chain management. I did have some idea because I work with customers, but not in that kind of depth. So when I learned what Supply Chain Management was what warehousing was, I was able to when I was doing the interview, I was able to explain myself better. And when I saw the like when I was learning the certification. I was like, Oh, I was able to see Oh, I did this before this type of work. I could see I could, for example my parents, I grew up in a supply chain world. My parents have a store. They go to Turkey and Dubai and they ship goods and products. So I grew up in there but I didn't know that That was supply chain. So when I was taking the course, I was like, oh my god, I grew up in this world. So one of the examples I gave the interviewers were when they said, what's your experience with supply chain? That's why I started with, like, I grew up in supply chain, and I had to explain the steps of how they have a store here, then they go to another country, and they're their own suppliers, and how to explain the steps like they ship it, they use this department. It helped me articulate what I already knew. And an added, you know, knowledge to kind of like, okay, so when I'm talking to people, I know what I'm talking about. And then with the digital marketing, like I said, I was talking to one of the employees of my company. And it's not just a certificate, but knowing what I was talking about, about digital marketing was impressive to them, you know, so and we're like, okay, so this person, because if people are going to give you opportunities, you have to be ready for that opportunity. You know, so for me being prepared, knowing what I'm talking about having at least a background, and telling them, Hey, this is how I can make your marketing successful. So it's not just me telling them, Oh, I know how to market your goods. It's also I have knowledge from yours customs. Plus, I could use my marketing skills that I learned from my courses, and certificates to increase, like, exposure to this company, right? So I'm thinking I'm like, Yeah, I'm like, I care about your company. And even though this is not within my job description, that is still what I learned. And this is what I could provide in my downtime. So it does add value to you, you become a better asset to the company. And it's just when you're competent person, and people are seeking your advice and your expert and feels good. You know, it's good to have that positive attention, that will help you succeed in life career, I genuinely improved my confidence and self esteem having having so much knowledge and being expert in my field.

KP: 22:47

Yeah, I couldn't agree with you more. I have an MBA in project management. And then I've also been certified through DOL coach as a master project manager. And even though I don't necessarily work in project management, a lot of the components that go into project management, help me with projects, at my work, be more efficient, and be more effective. And my I shouldn't say that I'm not a project manager, I feel like everybody's a project manager, they just don't know it. But my official title is not project manager. But like you mentioned earlier, my certifications have helped me professionally and personally, on how I think about things to be more effective and more efficient. It sounds like that's how all these certifications have really helped you out. And I gotta say that, you know, just learning so much about you during this interview, you are a very intelligent, young lady. And it's refreshing to talk to folks like you. Because I think that at the end of the day, you understand the value of education, so much so that you've managed to level yourself up, even when you weren't looking for a new opportunity, the opportunity found you right. And so that's no better place to be. And that's why I have you on today because I love your story. And I love what you're about. You know, in since you've been a part of Act Now Education, I understand that you've attended the orientations. Would you mind talking to the audience about the importance of attending the Act Now Education orientations?

Sumeya Gibril: 24:20

Yes, every time I attend, it's always something new. You learned so many resources about resumes, which helped me get this job because the resume like pure post, which I got resources from them, helped me, you know, tailor my resume without having to pay$200, which I used to do for someone to tailor my resume. And there's opportunities for like scholarships, and they give you links for that. And like, there's it opportunities, there's just so many new opportunities every time you show up. And most of the time they have like guest speakers that are expert in their field to explain to you the more opportunities to come to you. They always say, try not to drown in the sea of the goodness, I'm not I don't know if I'm saying the you know the quote correctly, but there's so much free resources. Sometimes I'm like, which one do I pick? And I had to be like, okay, yes, it's a lot of free resources, but just stick to one or two, so that you're not drowning in those sea of goodness and you end up doing nothing, but it's just the offer it and it, it brings, it reminded me that there's still good humans and that There's kindness in this world. Because the board members, the mentors, they're just doing it for free. Because for me at the beginning, I was like skeptical, like, What do you mean for free? Who does that who gives up their time, their money, like, I don't understand. But seeing them was like, ah, oh, people do things, you know, out of the goodness of their heart and just kind of like, restored my faith in humanity, but they have amazing resources, and you shouldn't miss those orientations, at least attend one. And you're going to be surprised in a good way.

KP: 26:09

I love how Jai, who is the founder of Act Now Education and the board member team, I'm actually a board member for Act Now Education as well, I'm very fortunate to be part of such an awesome, awesome group of folks been going on a year now that I've been a part of academic education, I love how they decided to do the orientation, because it really helps put into context, all the current opportunities that are out there, because we have so many that are available to folks. But then it gives you an opportunity to also understand what those values are, what those certifications are, what those opportunities truly mean. So, attending an orientation, might open your eyes to something that you weren't thinking about before. So I'm glad that you were able to underline that and highlight that. And, you know, I want to highlight this too, like, I think the important thing is, is you know, if you're out there, and you're listening to this, and you're looking for a career change, whether you're a veteran service member looking to get out, don't go at it alone. The Act Now Education community is truly a family of folks out there. We don't ask for anything. As far as you know, VA education, none of that stuff, all this stuff is free. And so with that being said, Sumeya, what do you what do you think people out there should know more about act now education.

Sumeya Gibril: 27:32

So although I love the government job, I wanted to change so bad. And even though I was not hopeful that I could move, like I my whole career has been in the service industry, which I appreciate like working with customers. Even though I brought a lot of value with that knowledge with working with customers my whole career. Sometimes, the industry or the corporate world might not appreciate that, or they might not see it as a high value, knowledge and experience that you bring. So taking the certifications, they will add to your already valued experience. And they will help you bridge that gap between where you are now. And where you want to be, you know, you already have the knowledge, but just getting certified, and improving that knowledge because we don't know everything will really bridge the gap for me to transition to this new career. Because I was feeling hopeless. I'm like, okay, how am I going to? Like, are they not going to see my full potential? Like I already have it? What do I need to do? So the certificate really bridged the gap for me to get into a job I didn't even know was my dream job with colleagues, I didn't know that I could, you know, care about so much. So it really wa... it bridged a gap for me,

KP: 28:57

Bridging that gap. That is such, such a major underlying statement. Really important for people out there to understand, for people to know the value of those certifications in relation to your if you have a degree for example, and on the show in the past, we've talked about project management. We've talked about Scrum. We've talked about many Cybertech certifications out there as well. And before we wrap it up, sue me I just wanted to ask you, was there anything that we didn't talk about during this interview that you'd like to mention, maybe advice for our listeners out there who are coming up behind you looking to follow your path and get to where you are?

Sumeya Gibril: 29:40

Yes, I think one advice I would give was to practice gratitude. If you remember at the beginning, I said when I was 11 years old, I got into a prayer mat, prayed for independence, financial stability, and just to be my own person. And everything I prayed for I have gotten whether it's career stability, financial stability, family, everything I prayed for i I've got and the only thing that's been consistent through all of that is practicing gratitude, coming from small country in East Africa and to the United States with this very, very much a lot of resources and opportunities. Being grateful for every small thing. I've noticed people respond positively to it, and they will give you more So just practice gratitude. And, like, once you practice gratitude, you'll get more of it. And you could totally do it, you have the knowledge in your head, and you have to have faith in yourself. Because I've noticed that if you don't trust yourself, if you don't have faith in yourself, then how are you expecting other people to do it. And once I start having faith in myself trusting myself, I was able to do things to advance my career. I'm a very self motivated person. I, I work, not because, oh, I want this company to be proud of me. But so I can be proud of me. I have the mindset of entrepreneur. I'm like, okay, if I'm working for this company, like, Okay, this was my company, how would I make it better? So I work for like, for myself, I work for my future self, for who I want to be. So practicing gratitude, and work for yourself work, because I want to be number one in the supply chain world. So right now I act like I'm number one in the supply chain world, that kind of the behavior, the certification, the knowledge, the network that I have, I carry myself with that role. So just believing yourself trusting yourself, you have a lot of knowledge, especially from the military, that is so invaluable to these companies, especially the hard work or good work ethic, teamwork, leadership it's very valuable, you just have to, to translate it, bridge the gap to speak like, you know, to speak the language of the world that you're getting into. But you could definitely do it your to Outlook, based on what we went through in the military. Once we came to the corporate world or government, it's really easy, because we've been through so much in the service that this child's play, like you could do it, you really could. And you'd you do the basics, and you'd be like an expert, because you've done the hardest part, which is serve your country and harsh conditions. So you could totally do it.

KP: 32:41

Exactly right. And they say only less than 6% ever serving United States military, out of the entire US population. And there's a reason for that, because most people don't want to overcome the obstacles. And don't have the resiliency. So look within yourself and understand where you were at where you've come from, and the long journey behind you. And don't ever forget who you are, I love your message. I love your message. And I love your self motivation. And your drive, sue me, I really do. And I think at some point, at some point, if you're not doing it now, you should consider reaching back and also volunteering on veterinary, or maybe even becoming a volunteer for Act Now education. So you can reach back and help others because you are a very intelligent, very intelligent, young lady. And so many folks out there would would benefit from having you as either a mentor or a point of contact. And so with that being said, if anyone out there is listening, and they'd like to follow up with you on something that you've mentioned during this interview, if you're listening to this, on audio, on one of our 18 different audio platforms on podcast, you can scroll down to the description and you'll see all of Sunnis information as far as her social media accounts and her email as well. If you're watching this on YouTube, go down the description. You'll find the same information down there as well. But I understand that you are also on Instagram.

Sumeya Gibril: 34:09

Yes. Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn to LinkedIn length. Yeah, maybe the official was let's stick with LinkedIn.

KP: 34:21

I don't know what you're doing on tick tock. But yeah, so.

Sumeya Gibril: 34:25

But yes, and then I have my email Sumaya jabril@gmail.com. Like you said, it will be in the description box. If you want to reach me. Feel free.

KP: 34:34

It's awesome. It's been such an honor Sumi, thank you so much for giving us the opportunity to interview and hear your story today.

Sumeya Gibril: 34:39

Thank you for having me. This was great.

KP: 34:41

Listen, everyone out there. I hope you managed to hear her journey. And understand that it's important to look further than your own block, look further than your own neighborhood. Look further than your own county and see yourself as doing something greater than, you know, as far as the eye can see. And that's why I love having folks like Sumeya on The Morning Formation Podcast, because it's all about leveling up here. And if you get a chance, make sure you go to actnoweducation.com. Join the Facebook group as well. Become part of the community right now. I think we're over 50,000 strong. It's all about helping each other out and it doesn't cost anything at all. Sumi, I appreciate everything today and for everyone out there. As always, I want you to stay tuned. Stay focused, and stay motivated. Warriors Fallout.