Erika Ortiz Mercado, Senior Airman on Influential Women

Influential Woman · Military

Erika Ortiz Mercado

Senior Airman, United States Air Force

Ontario, CA

2Awards received

Certifications · Degrees · Memberships

Degree Bachelor's degree in History and Political Science (in progress) Degree Bachelor's degree in Public Administration (pursuing) Member California Enlisted Army Air Force National Guard Association

Her Story

About Erika

I wanted to join the military when I was in high school, but I didn't have anybody to mentor me. When I was in college, I got to hang out with a lot of veterans and had a professor that was a veteran, so I got their mentorship and kind of just enlisted. It's been like the rest is just history. I work supply, making sure the aircraft parts are where they need to be and ensuring that when the maintenance group needs aircraft parts, we pull them and give them to them. It's a little repetitive, but it's really, really great in looking at the mission and how important it is to the mission. I have done a lot of political advocacy in the past, which is something that I want to go towards. My college undergrad is in history and political science, and I'm still working on it. I'm also trying to get a second bachelor's in public administration. Although I love the warehouse and logistics, I just love working with the people, and I would love to work with the public one day.

Her Interview

Ten minutes with Erika

01What do you attribute your success to?

I definitely attribute my success to my background, like my parents, my mom, and just the younger generation. I love being a positive influence for women, so anytime I do anything with my career field or outside of my career field, I try my best to be a great mentor.

02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?

The best career advice I've ever received is that it's a privilege to get overwhelmed with the things that you once worked hard for. I've also learned that network is your net worth, so the idea of networking is very important to me, not just on the receiving end, but also on the giving end. Networking is something that I value a lot.

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