2024 Air, Space & Cyber—Igniting Our Story: The People Behind the Platform

The “Igniting Our Story: The People Behind the Platform,” panel at the 2024 Air, Space & Cyber Conference featured Sam Eckholm, aerospace and defense content creator; 2nd Lt. Madison Marsh, Miss America 2024; and SMSgt. Julia Valenzuela, Space Force ISR programs manager. The panel was moderated by Alex Wagner, Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Manpower and Reserve Affairs. Watch the video below:

Panel Moderator: Alex Wagner, Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Manpower and Reserve Affairs:

All right, hello AFA, and welcome to our panel. I’m hoping to have a ton of fun today. I think we’re going to bring some really interesting conversation and hopefully a bit different than we’ve heard over the last several years here. So, listen, I might be a little bit biased as the Chief People Officer of the Air Force and the Space Force, but I think our people have the best stories. You know, stories stick with us. They are repeated and they’re shared, telling stories of why we serve, how you serve, and the opportunities presented by a military lifestyle is more important than ever to help bridge an ever-increasing civil military divide. You know, the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Manpower and Reserve Affairs doesn’t really have the platform others do to communicate the DAFs brand effectively. And let’s be honest, our next generation of Airmen and guardians aren’t going to find me very interesting. So, what I wanted to do is collect some of our most effective brand ambassadors to get a better sense of how they’re using their platforms to tell the Air Force and Space Force story and incorporate what they’ve learned along the way. So frankly, let’s get started with the panel.

This first question is for each of you, and we’ll start with you. Madison, talk to me about how you’re using your platform to engage the American public and inform their perceptions about the Air Force and the Space Force.

2nd Lt. Madison Marsh, Miss America 2024:

Absolutely, I’ve had a really incredible opportunity for the past, I guess, nine months to travel both as Second Lieutenant in the Air Force, but also as Miss America. And I think that is been a big surprise to a lot of the civilian population, maybe even the military community, about how we go about doing that. And I think it’s been so cool for me, just because now the Air Force, and really the military is changing, and the fact that we need to be multidimensional, you don’t have to give up your passions or your personality to put on the uniform. In fact, one of the things that I talk to a lot of the people about is that is what makes us stronger as a group, by bringing all of our diverse passions and interests to the table. Because I know the fact that the Air Force has allowed me to stay on active duty this year, I can learn all of these wonderful lessons and bring that back to my people once all of us over, and I think by being able to share our unique passions and stories with one another, that’s what we’re bringing back. That’s how we’re making our Air Force stronger, and that’s what I want to try to teach people.

Panel Moderator: Alex Wagner:

That’s fantastic. How about you? Sam, yeah.

Sam Eckholm, Aerospace & Defense Content Creator:

So, when I separated from the military a few years ago, I noticed a pretty significant gap between the way industries were using engaging content to tell their stories and what the US military was doing. And so first and foremost, I really see myself as a filmmaker, as someone who spent years perfecting how to tell a compelling story in a way that weaves together what I call entertainment and education and with any of the viewers who watch any of the videos we create, I want them to leave feeling a sense of pride and appreciation for all the men and women of the United States military.

So, to do that, we focus on using my platforms in a few specific ways, and the first, first and foremost, is that we focus on people first and then the mission. That’s my approach to storytelling, people first and then the mission. And you’ll notice that if you watch my videos, there’s always a continuous narrative from the airmen directly who are in charge of the missions that we’re covering. Now, second off these videos, they’re not about me. I simply see myself as the host, as the one who can help bridge that civilian military divide, who can trans, you know, translate all the complex military jargon that all of us are familiar with in a way that the general public can understand. And then lastly, what we do is not traditional media, and that’s key. It’s not traditional media. So.

We focus on creating easily digestible content that can be accessed on the platforms all of us are using, on the platforms all of us are using as well. And through doing that, we’ve been able to break the norms of traditional media. And really, you know, go after this with everything. So, to date, you know, our videos have been seen by over 250 million people, which is pretty crazy for me, considering that it really all started with just me and a camera, and I’m lucky now to have a team of videographers and editors who helped me tell these stories on an even larger scale. But at its core, what we always focus on is, you know, explaining why what everyone in this do matter, what everyone in this room does, and how it matters in telling the story of the United States military.

Panel Moderator: Alex Wagner:

Terrific senior, you’re a guardian. Talk to us a bit about how you’re changing and informing perceptions.

SMSgt. Julia Valenzuela, Congressional Liaison, Space Force ISR Programs Manager:

Yeah, absolutely. So, my platform is a little bit different than our two phenomenal panelists up here, but with that, I am part of a team that serves as the communication link between Congress and the Department of the Air Force, and we do that by ensuring that our lawmakers and their staff are fully informed on our strategic needs and contributions. And we do that by facilitating a clear dialog and providing key updates that ultimately help shape our national defense goals, and additionally help ensure that both the Air Force and the Space Force remain well-resourced and mission ready. I think the key link between that is ensuring that the Department of the Air Force has a strong partnership between Congress and the department. So that’s a little bit about me.

Panel Moderator: Alex Wagner:

Boy, we feel it every single day in the Pentagon, so thank you for that. Madison, being Miss America requires you to travel all across America. So, I’m really curious, what are you hearing people tell you about their understanding of the military, and what questions are they asking you about military service.

2nd Lt. Madison Marsh:

I honestly feel like we are a mystery to a lot of people, because, I mean, people are genuinely curious all of the time about what we do every day. Why do you put on the uniform and if they’re eligible? We get tons of crazy questions on people thinking that they’re no longer eligible to join the military. Last week, I was in Colorado, and I had a mom come up to me, and she was like, my son really wants to join the Air Force and go to the Air Force Academy, but he’s six, seven. He’s too tall. I’m having to sit there and I’m telling her, no, no, your son is still eligible to come and join the services. And it’s moments like that, where now she’s like, I need to go call my son. He’s got to get his stuff in order, because he’s got to apply to the academy now. And it’s moments like that where you can be open and honest with people, and the fact that you can just be a face to the uniform and bring the human side to being in the military to our general public. We can demystify all of these parts and these misconceptions about military members, and hopefully that’s going to enable more people to join our services. Because if you get passionate people that are informed and educated about our service, we get so many more people that can join us, like spaces in this room, and hopefully bringing better people to our military to grow us and be better for the next mission every single day.

Panel Moderator: Alex Wagner:

You know, on my Uber home last night from AFA, the Uber driver mentioned that he had been in Air Force ROTC, and then asked me if, at 32 years old, he was too old to join the Air Force. And so I even just a few hours ago, I’ve been aware of those misconceptions. Sam since leaving active duty, you’ve been telling the stories of our platforms and the people behind them, the way you’ve been doing that are through videos, long videos, short videos, but really engaging videos, and you’ve built quite an online following. What kind of audience are you trying to build and what does the data tell you? The most effective way to reach them is and to keep them engaged?

Sam Eckholm:

Yeah, so I realized a long time ago that the American people really have no idea what it is that the United States military does. I mean the stories, the missions, the career fields that are second nature to everyone sitting here is largely foreign to around 90% of the American population, which is crazy. So, to kind of go after that, what we focus on with my team and our platform is targeting three specific and distinct groups of people. So, the first are what I call potential recruits, right? These are the people who just need a little bit of inspiration right? Hopefully stumble upon something that helps them ultimately make that decision to raise their right hand and serve. And the second group we target are the current Airmen, right, the current people serving guardians or across the military who are excited to have their story told, or their career failed, or their job shown in a way that hasn’t been done before. Yeah. And then lastly, our third group is we focus on the general public, right that 90% of the American population who really has no idea what it is that we’re doing. So, I’ll give you an example of a recent video we did, and kind of how we hit each of those demographics with everything that we do. So last fall, I had the opportunity to embed with Air Force Special Warfare. I went down to hurl Hurlburt field, Florida as the first really civilian to ever be put through the Special Tactics officer training pipeline. And that was one of the most grueling weeks of my life. I mean, literally, you saw it in the intro video, but like hands and feet behind my back, I’m doing drown proofing in the pool with these people who have practiced this for years to get where they are today. Ruck runs cadre yelling at me, you know, throw back to our basic training, right? It was, it was really, really intense, and it all led up to this final mission. The showcase was Special Warfare was all about. So, if you watch the video back, right? So that first category of people I talked about is potential recruits. So, believe it or not, Special Warfare is one of the most sought after and desired career field, especially for young kids wanting to join the military. So, this video showed an in depth look at what that process looks like, but most importantly, what they need to have and what it takes to be become a member of this, you know, coveted career field now that second group of people are the current people serving in the military. So, if you watch the video, I mean, we were able to cover pretty much every career field that goes into Special Warfare. In that 25-minute documentary that we filmed, I interviewed Special Tactics officers, PJs, combat controllers, tac peas, Battlefield surgeons and so much more. And then lastly, for the American public, if you think Special Operations, most people are not thinking of the Air Force. They’re thinking of the army Green Berets. They’re thinking of the Navy, Navy SEALs. And that is something I specifically wanted to change. And it’s pretty cool. If you look back, that video now has over 2.3 million views, I think. But I think one of the coolest things it is the number one search return video for the Air Force Special Warfare mission, which is awesome.

Panel Moderator: Alex Wagner:

Oh, wow, I didn’t know that. That is pretty awesome. So senior, you’ve helped introduce, introduce the Space Force, our newest military service to the public, but also to Congress. And you know, when I took this job and I was appointed, so many people asked me if the Space Force was getting ready to put people onto Mars, or their full knowledge of it was from a not-so-great Netflix show. How do you use your platform and you’re messaging to change this narrative, to help people understand not only all the things the Space Force is doing, but how integrated it is into their modern way of life.

SMSgt. Julia Valenzuela:

Yeah, absolutely. So that usually starts with me saying, No, I’ve never been to space, and I probably never will be going to space, but I take that as an opportunity, because I feel when they’re asking those questions means that there’s interest and that they know that space, the space force exists, and so just like everybody here, I’m sure, works in an office, we I just explained, you know, is your office environment like the office? No, but I use that platform and tell them like, hey, yes, we are headquartered in the Pentagon with our sister services. Yes, we’re a very small service. Yes, we are called guardians. So, just like the sailors, just like the Navy has sailors and the army has soldiers, we are called guardians. And so that’s how I use those opportunities, but that usually means there is a little bit of interest and space, but and it usually goes, oh, you guys do exist. Yes, we do exist. And so, it’s fun. I always like when they stare at our uniform, and especially being enlisted. They like our ranks are different. So, they try to figure out my ranks. So, a lot of them do ask me, so I educate them on that as well. Like, hey, we are now our ranks did change from the previous our previous services. You know whether you’re Navy and you came into the space force; we have adopted some new ranks for our enlisted members. So yeah, that’s how I approach those curious humans.

Panel Moderator: Alex Wagner:

So, I’ve asked you all a bit about what you’re saying. Now I want to change the conversation into what you’re hearing. Sam, what kind of feedback are you receiving as your videos travel across the internet?

Sam Eckholm:

Yeah, so I’d say probably the most powerful feedback I receive is when I hear from someone, or they tell me that they started their military career after watching one of our videos. I mean, you know, how cool is that to hear. So, remember back it was a few months ago. I was out at Travis Air Force Base doing a video on the c5 and a new maintainer ran up to our four. Home crew, and then flagged me down. He pulled me aside, and he told me, two years ago he was sitting at home he didn’t know what he wanted to do with his life, and he stumbled across our channel, and that was his very first introduction into the world of aircraft maintenance. Because what we try to do with all of our videos, especially when we’re covering aircraft, is I want to show some love to the maintainers, some of the other career fields. It’s not all about the pilots. And that was really, really cool to hear.

Panel Moderator: Alex Wagner:

So maybe actually, yeah, let me interrupt you, because everybody in this room knows that anything on the internet lives forever and never dies. And so, what I did is I had our team pull together some of the comments that your videos, whether they be on YouTube or Instagram, or other social platforms are getting. Can we can we roll the video?

Sam Eckholm:

Now? There we go.

Panel Moderator: Alex Wagner:

So, some of these are pretty awesome and what they helped me understand is just the breadth and depth of interest that these videos are creating and the lasting impressions that they’re making on people who otherwise might not be familiar with our force and the people who power it. So, Sam, any anything in these that that stand out to you?

Sam Eckholm:

Yeah, I mean, it’s pretty surreal. And like I said, I mean, most of my, you know, it’s online, so you read comments, and that’s always amazing to hear. And then these in person interactions, kind of, you know, make it all full circle. But yeah, whether it’s in person or online, it’s cool to notice that the videos we are making are like directly having a result on the life trajectory of people who are deciding to serve. And that’s something I didn’t fully realize until I started doing it. And I’ll be honest, it’s also it can be incredibly overwhelming, because it’s a huge responsibility knowing you know what we’re doing not only reflects upon the Air Force and the Space Force, but it can help the general public’s perception of how the military operates, and I take that with a huge responsibility with everything that we do. Also wanted to add kind of the second piece of feedback I receive are actually from our recruiters, right? Who will message me saying, hey, you know, we’re using your videos to play at our recruiting offices, or we’re taking them with us to our local junior highs and high schools to show and that’s cool to see that the people entrusted with recruiting the next generation of our service members are able to reuse and repurpose our stuff. And then lastly, probably the most special feedback I receive are actually from our current airmen and guardians, people in the military who tell me that because of our work that we’re doing, they now have something cool to show their friends and their family that fires them up for what they’re doing and shows the end result of their day-to-day job. And I’ll be honest, I mean, what we do, it takes a ton of time, a ton of resources, but hearing that feedback, you know, I think all of you would agree, it makes it all worth it.

Panel Moderator: Alex Wagner:

So, Madison, your title is Miss America, but in this role, you have to travel not only all over the country, but all over the world. And I’ve seen your videos at D-Day in Normandy, and I’m curious, what are you hearing in your global travels about the story you’re telling and what kind of feedback stands out to you.

2nd Lt. Madison Marsh:

One of the biggest things that I get asked about is really about the female experience in the uniform. I mean, while I was here today, I don’t know if he’s in the audience, but I had a father come up to me asking about what it was like, because his daughter’s interested in joining. I have a lot of young women that are interested in joining, but because of maybe previous stereotypes that they’ve heard of they’re a little bit hesitant or don’t really know what it’s like, and I think being able to break that down for people, obviously, I can only speak from my own experience, but what I’ve experienced in the Air Force so far is that I’ve always been treated as an equal with my peers. I’ve always been taken care of by the Air Force. My commanders have taken care of me, and being able to share that, I’ve had a lot of young women be like, Oh, okay, maybe it’s maybe it’s not so bad. Maybe I’m interested in joining now. And last week, also, while I was in Colorado, I had a freshman at the Air Force Academy come up to me and say she was on the fence about joining because she thought she wasn’t going to get to be feminine anymore after she put on the uniform, and after seeing whenever I won Miss America, that she could do both, she decided to go and it just it goes to show that you don’t have to be Miss America or have a particular rank to share your story. Everyone in here can share your individual experience with the public, and that can get one more person to join. You. Don’t need a title. You don’t need a social media platform to do that. It’s just day to day when you can go out and share your good experiences with the people. And that’s been such a special part of this year, because now we have one more awesome young woman that’s about to become an officer in a couple years from now, because we go out and we feel enabled and empowered to share our stories and experiences in the military.

Panel Moderator: Alex Wagner:

Fabulous senior. Let’s hear some applause for that one. I mean, our largest part of our recruitable population that we are, we are far on. Under what we should be is attracting women into our service and to our two military services. And there is not a job today that men can do that women can’t. And so, it’s up to all of us to increase and intentionally grow the propensity to serve by making platforms like Madison’s, but virtually telling your own stories to help people understand that military service is something that everyone can do, regardless of gender. But senior I always talk every day about our board of directors for the Department of the Air Force, and those are the members of Congress, and they are a far more skeptical, far more knowledgeable audience. As you travel across the Potomac River to Capitol Hill, what are you hearing from members and their key staffers about the Space Force, about the opportunities the Space Force is creating and how they’re doing it, maybe a bit different than the way military services have done it in the past.

SMSgt. Julia Valenzuela:

I will tell you that the feedback that we get from Congress, or at least I’ve gotten from Congress, has been very supportive and very bipartisan. I mean, the creation of the Space Force required a bipartisan vote, up vote out of both chambers, and then became a law and so but I think if I can tell, like more recent story on how supportive they have been of the Space Force is this year, I got the opportunity to plan and execute an international delegation trip that was solely focused on national security space. And so that alone shows how committed not only the members of Congress are, but their staff are as well. Additionally, that trip got branded as a space Dell so when they are usually called codes or staff Dells, I thought the branding was a genius. But also, members of Congress, when they’re reaching out to our office, sometimes I’ve had an opportunity where they want to educate their constituents on what the Air Force is doing. So, we help facilitate that so that they can go back and educate their constituents on the Space Force, because at the end of the day, they voted for the establishment of the service, and so they want to go back and provide further justification of why they did it and what is happening with the newest service.

Panel Moderator: Alex Wagner:

It is. It is such a virtuous cycle to have members appropriately informed and then also to make sure that they can effectively communicate those messages to their constituents, which then might be more propence to serve or more propens to be an inclusive military community so they understand the unique needs that guardians today will require. So, I know we’re running a little close to our limits, and so I wanted to close with two questions. First, we’re going to do a quick lightning round. Let’s see if we can pull this one off. Madison, what do you wish the American people better understood about America’s Air and Space Forces?

2nd Lt. Madison Marsh:

I wish people knew that you don’t just have to be a pilot in the Air Force to support the aviation mission. I mean, I will be at air shows, and people will come up to me and they’ll say, oh my gosh, I just saw you fly the F 35 and I’m sitting there having to explain to these people now embarrassed that I’m not a pilot for the Air Force, but also it’s it’s really an incredible opportunity to explain to them all the other opportunities and jobs that the Air Force has to offer. Because if you don’t want to be a pilot. Great. We have so many other positions for you to support that aviation mission or do something different. And I think that really enables people to understand better the opportunities that we have and figure out the best way to get them involved in the military, whether you serve in uniform or choose not to.

Panel Moderator: Alex Wagner:

You know, I often say that you can do anything you want to in the Air Force or the Space Force, and you could probably do things that no one else in America gets to do. Sam, how about you a lightning round question, what are one or two air or space force stories that you haven’t yet been able to tell that you love to share through your videos?

Sam Eckholm:

Yeah, so besides Space Force, because I know we’ve got some interesting ideas circling, you have to dabble in that. There’s really two that come to mind. So, the first one is one I know you have had the opportunity to experience, and that’s Operation Deep Freeze. So, C-17 and c1-30 resupply missions down to Antarctica in support of the National Science Foundation. I think it’s one of the coolest missions we do in the Air Force, and one that I would definitely love to tell the second it’s..

Panel Moderator: Alex Wagner:

I can attest to, oh my god, this is, this is something that only the United States Air Force, and really the U.S. Air Force, Guard and Reserve can do. We’re the only country in the world that can make science happen in the covid. Oldest, windiest and driest continent on planet Earth. Sorry, I had to put it, no.

Sam Eckholm:

Yeah. I mean, it looked incredible the second. You know, just since a young kid, I’ve been fascinated by the B-2 bomber. But what I’ve learned from the aircraft I film around and the stories we’ve told is people want to hear directly from the people working on the mission. And, you know, obviously, experience the flight aspect as well. So, it has been done before with traditional media, where they’ve sent a journalist up to experience a flight. Think, with our unique approach to storytelling and our audience, it’s also something I’d love to make happen. So, my call to action, anyone in this room who can maybe help me with those two or if you have any other ideas, seriously, with your base, with your wing, who your part of, please find me, reach out. Surprisingly, a lot of the videos we film are from wings and units who message us looking for their story to be told and can help get the ball rolling. And we love that great senior.

Panel Moderator: Alex Wagner:

We heard this morning from CMSSF John Bentivegna, how critical it is right now for the Space Force to be telling its unique story to the American people. What do you think we need to do better to tell the authentic Space Force story? And really, how can DAF members, including our civilians, better champion the work of the Space Force, which also includes, you know, people who aren’t wearing blue name tapes.

SMSgt. Julia Valenzuela:

Thanks, sir. I think we still have some time. So, I want to go back to one of your previous comments. And you said, we get the opportunity to do things that most people usually go don’t get to do. So, I have one of those opportunities that I’m like. So, I was part of the space aggressors. I was the senior enlisted leader, and one of our missions is to mimic our adversaries. Well, our adversaries jam GPS signals. So, I sometimes when they’re like, tell two truths and a lie, and I’m like, I got paid to jam GPS, people think that’s the lie. So, yeah, those are that’s one of the neatest opportunities that I think I’ve gotten. But going back to your question on what we can do better, or what we are doing to reach out to the American people with regards to the Space Force, I think we have some initiatives and works that will reach out to people that are in planetariums and show them a movie. And so that is reaching out to people that are have already shown an interest in space. And so that is great, but then sometimes you just don’t know what you don’t know. And so, for that, we are in the works for a mobile experience, space experience, and this would take it to people that maybe don’t even know that space interests them. So that is what we can do better, or what we’re doing to do better. And then as far as our people with that don’t get to wear the blue name tags, I will say we are part of the joint force, right? And history has shown that we are together and with our capabilities brought to the war, fight war, fight, to the war, fighting domain that we excel. And so, think about the Guardians next time you are and your missions and planning ahead because we’ve been there. We are ready challenges. Let us know where you need us if we’re not already, already there, and then just include us. That’s all.

Panel Moderator: Alex Wagner:

That’s awesome. I can tell you. I know a little bit about this mobile experience that the Space Force is working on developing, and it’s going to give people the sensation of moving up through a virtual elevator, through the different levels from Earth into deep space and everything in between. And once you have that sensation, you’ll be able to see some of the things that the Space Force has at each of those orbits and I think that will be not only a memorable experience, but hopefully that’ll get people talking about the actual mission of the Space Force, and help them understand why it’s so relevant, not only to our modern way of life, but also enabling, as you said, the joint force and ensuring our modern way of war. So, we’re going to close with a final question, and we’ve talked about it before. Everyone in this room is a brand ambassador for the Air Force and the Space Force. Every single time you put on a uniform, you’re telling our story, whether or not you know it. Now, we don’t all have the same platform as our panelists up here on stage, so panelists, what’s your advice for the folks in this room? What’s your challenge for the people here and everyone who’s going to then watch this online, on how to tell their authentic stories more effectively and more expansively? So, Madison will start with you.

2nd Lt. Madison Marsh:

Everyone in here has their own story to tell, and it is valuable, and I’m not going to be able to tell your story because I didn’t live your life. So, you have to go out yourself and share the authentic version of what you’ve experienced in and out of the military. There have been a lot of times that I’ve been really open and honest about the grief of losing my mom right before I entered into the Air Force Academy, or about my experience of serving as Miss America while also being in the Air Force, and just my actual Air Force experience. Everyone in here has something they can share with the public, with their peers, and day to day conversations and so kind of two prong advice on that one, if you are going to be sharing some of that military story. Talk to your PA shop. I have had the privilege this year of working very closely with pa because of the type of position that I’m in, but there’s so much to learn about what should go on the internet, making sure you’re not unintentionally sharing, maybe security violations or something like that in the background of your video. So run things by them. Have those conversations, because they are there to help you to ensure that you are releasing good information to the public that is positive for everybody. And two, be honest, that means sharing the good and the bad with people, because there’s so much that everyone can learn and be better from it if you share the entire experience. I know right now, my fiancé is also serving in the Air Force, and we’re trying to figure out what this actually looks like realistically being joint spouse. And I think it would have helped us a couple years ago, had we had more of those open, honest conversations about what it was really going to look like for us and share that, share that with people, because when people know exactly what they’re getting into, they’re going to have a much better idea of how to approach the situation and how to handle it better, and that starts with you being authentic with people. So, share your story, do it well, and use the resources that you have at your base if you’re going to go about it for the military.

Panel Moderator: Alex Wagner:

Sam, how about you?

Sam Eckholm:

Yeah, so I guess the first thing I’ll say is, if you’re someone sitting in this room who has no interest on posting online or sharing about your life, that is totally okay, but if you are someone who is interested, there are a few things I would say. The first is that I would focus on sharing some information, maybe from the early stages of your career, sharing how you got to where you are today, sharing some of the roadblocks that were to your success, some of the trials and errors, and really focusing on what you feel like you are an expert in. I think one of the most powerful things we have in this world is learning. And I guarantee you, none of us in this room on this stage would be here without some pretty special mentors we’ve had in our lives. So, for me, my way of mentoring now is by creating videos that I’m now able to share with a pretty large audience. But for you, I mean that might start with how I started, which is, you know, doing things in your office, sharing advice. Maybe it’s communicating to the people in your neighborhood or your local community on what you do on a day-to-day basis. And you know what we do in the United States military, but you ask for a challenge. So, I’ll give you a small one. I would challenge you to make a post online and have it be a side-by-side photo post. So have one photo be from, say, the first year in your military career, maybe the first few months, and then have the second photo be a current photo of where you are today. And then in a few sentences, I want you to talk about how you made it, talk about what you’ve learned. But the key thing is, I want you, and kind of what you said, Madison, I want you to talk about a specific moment of failure and how you overcame it. It might sound simple, but hearing from someone who wears the uniform, who’s an expert at what they do, it’s powerful, and I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised at even how many people you can impact just doing that.

Panel Moderator: Alex Wagner:

Senior want to take us home?

SMSgt. Julia Valenzuela:

Yes. So all great answers, by the way, that I’ll tell you, if someone in 2002 would have told me that I was going to be sitting on the stage with Miss America, a YouTube influencer and one of the Air Force’s most enthusiastic senior leaders as a senior master sergeant in the United States Space Force, I would have said I have higher odds of winning the lottery three times in a row. So, Dream Big is one of the things that I would challenge you to do, but also focus on what your favorite part about serving is. And then any chance you get talk about that, because people are going to be drawn to the enthusiasm that you are communicating, and they’re going to remember that and take it on with them, and remember you for your Tuesday enthusiasm, and not only that, but also for serving our great nation. Thank.

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This transcript was auto-generated, and may not be 100 percent accurate. The source audio and video can be accessed above.