By Megan Wilton, System Engineer
Editor: Rachel Bryars
Lately, I have felt an incredible amount of gratefulness come over me, especially when I think of the incredible people who have entered my life in the last six months and made a huge impact on me.
And it is all thanks to HigherEchelon.
I cannot express how considerably lucky and thankful I am that HigherEchelon President Joe Ross, Senior Vice President of Engineering Paul Andrzejewski, and others within the company, saw my potential and welcomed me onto this amazing team of professionals.
I hit the pavement sprinting since I moved from Texas to Alabama in May, quickly embracing HigherEchelon’s organizational values: Learn, Grow, Adapt and Lead, as I stepped into the role of a System Engineer.
If this opportunity was not amazing enough, they also identified my passion, education, and experience in the world of health and wellness, and my background in strength and volleyball coaching, presenting me with the opportunity to coach Strength and Conditioning for St. John Paul II Catholic High School, where our company leadership coaches football.
This snowballed into me also coaching for JPII’s boy’s and girl’s basketball and baseball teams, and through other connections, for United Volleyball Club. I get to work with even more incredible people from the high school and outside club coaching staffs.
Pictured: Megan Wilton (R) and St. John Paul II Athletic Trainer Colleen Earley (L). The two are working on a book with other health professionals to serve as a guide for women to aid in their mental, emotional, and physical health, and in their personal and professional life performance journeys.
When I think about my path to HigherEchelon and my current position, I can see how the pieces have come together, even if they may seem unorthodox. My undergraduate degree is in Systems Management, I was an Army Construction Engineer, my master’s degree is in Exercise Physiology, and there is a laundry list of teams and programs I have coached for.
What does all of this have in common to my title now as a System Engineer?
That’s easy. A system, defined by INOCSE, is “an integrated set of elements — products, processes, people, information, facilities, services, — that accomplishes a defined objective.” As a System Engineer, it is my job to lead in the integration of those elements to accomplish an objective, goal, or end state. So whether I am wearing dress pants and in a systems lab, or wearing a baggy sweatshirt and in the weight room, the common denominator is the ability to lead and bring “people, systems and processes” together and accomplish a defined objective.
I guess it just seems easy because I am surrounded by people in HigherEchelon, and the additional people I have met so far, that want to do nothing more than to help and see me succeed, and support my passions, in all “systems” of my life.
My life has forever changed for the better in a manner of 5-6 months because of all the incredible people within the organization, and the many more I have met since moving to Huntsville, AL.
It is truly a blessing when you are happy in both your professional AND personal life.
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