Her Story
About Annabella
Annabella Farabaugh serves as a staff officer in the United States Coast Guard, where she works in an office focused on large organizational change. With nine years of total military experience, including four years at the United States Coast Guard Academy, she has been drawn to roles that involve ambiguity and the opportunity to create positive change, improve quality of life for service members, and foster innovation. Farabaugh joined the military seeking humanitarian work, challenging experiences, travel, and unique professional development. She attributes her achievements to the strong examples set by leaders and colleagues, from whom she actively learns by adopting beneficial habits, skills, and values. She advises those entering the field to define personal values and seek roles that align with them, using misaligned positions as opportunities for learning and positive influence.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Annabella
01What do you attribute your success to?
I don't really view myself as extremely successful. Everything that I have been able to accomplish or achieve has been because I've had strong examples and leaders and people around me to learn from. If I had to attribute my success to anything, it would just be being able to learn from the people around me, and not just the people that I like or immediately click with, but I really try to take the best habits and skills and values from the people around me and try to bring the ones that I can benefit from into my own life.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
The advice I would give to women is like the advice that I would give to anyone. You should define your personal values and then look for roles where you can do work that aligns to them whenever possible. And if you ever end up in a role that doesn't align to your values, use it to your advantage to learn what you can and to try to influence the environment around you.
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