CCs may remember Yolanda Mayo, now a reserve sergeant major of Marine Air Control Squadron 24 and, in her other life, Operations Officer, Marine Corps Community Services at Camp Lejeune. She recently received a National Image Award from National Image, Inc., an organization that recognizes achievements of Hispanics. A complete write up of the award can be read by following the link below. We reminded Yolanda that she has many times said: “I will always be a CC.” She left the field a few years ago so that she could be promoted and has obviously succeeded big time!
Story by Lance Cpl. Jackeline Perez Rivera
Via DVIDS
CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. – A well-known Marine reservist, who works in a civilian capacity aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, was awarded a National Image Award in Los Angeles last week.
Since 1971, National Image, a nonprofit organization, advocated for Hispanics and helped provide opportunities for leadership development through conferences and other means. Every year the group honors two service members from each branch of service, and this year Sgt. Maj. Yolanda Mayo, the sergeant major of Marine Air Control Squadron 24, was honored for her dedication and support to Hispanics and to community service.
Mayo works aboard MCB Camp Lejeune as the deputy operations officer for Marine Corps Community Services.
Mayo has a strong identity and personality. Sgt. Maj. Ernest Hoopii, the sergeant major of Marine Corps Installations East-MCB Camp Lejeune described her as positive, cheerful, enthusiastic, well intentioned and sincere.
Those traits have taken her far in her career, but the mother of two has not forgotten her culture or her family.
When her daughter was 15 she planned her daughter’s Quiceanera, a rite of passage for Hispanic girls similar to a sweet sixteen. While the traditions associated with the celebration vary between countries and religions they all include a large formal celebration that brings friends and family together to celebrate the occasion.
“Around here nobody heard of it before,” said Mayo. “It was really cool to be able to share my heritage.” Mayo is Mexican and Irish. She was raised in Michigan and feels she was never treated differently because of her race.
“My last name was Sanchez,” she said. “(My sisters and I) were the only ones but it was okay. We grew up around a lot of different cultures.”
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