Olga Smeltzer
My name is Olga Smeltzer and I want to share my story and how it led me to the New Hampshire Military Coaching Alliance (NHMCA). I had a humble upbringing in the former Soviet Union country of Kazakhstan. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, my family experienced a great deal of hardship. I watched my mother doing the best she could to provide for me and my sister. I realized then that I had to work hard to have a better life for myself and my family. After graduating High School, I pursued a higher education at the Omsk State University. I was presented with an opportunity to come to the United States where I continued my education and received a bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina in Wilmington in Political Science. My husband was serving in the Marine Corps at that time which meant that we moved often. Subsequently, I was unable to find a permanent employment. I decided to join the military.
During my time in the US Army, I gained leadership skills, knowledge and more importantly confidence. After serving for 5 years, my husband and I made a family decision to part with the military and give our children some stability. We chose New England for many reasons as a place to settle and raise our three daughters. We moved to New Hampshire after I separated from the military in February 2020 where went to the University of New Hampshire and earned my MBA.
At the end of my MBA program, I started looking for internship/employment opportunities. I did not have a good network since I was new to the area, and we were still in the height of the pandemic. I was fortunate to have a neighbor, Jensen Basenberg, who is also a veteran. He connected me with a member of NHMCA and a retired US Army colonel, Hunt Kerrigan. Hunt was incredibly supportive and connected me with other great veterans. It was amazing to have that military community feeling again and know that I was not alone.
It is through the NHMCA I was able to connect with a CEO of Minim, Inc., Gray Chynoweth, who wanted to help transitioning military veterans. I was hired to a newly created position that suited both the company and the military veterans. Gray went beyond helping me and ask me to lead a military fellowship program. I am currently working in a different role within the company and another transitioning veteran holds my former role.
I cannot thank the NHMCA enough for helping me during my transition. The members of this network genuinely want to help other veterans. NHMCA is a supportive community with great networking opportunities.
