Courtney Sullivan

Hi, there! I’m Courtney and am an Active Duty United States Air Force (USAF) Intelligence Officer. I’ve served almost eight years and plan to retire from the service either at twenty years or beyond twenty. I grew up as an Air Force brat–both of my parents retired from the Air Force, my grandpa retired from it, and my brother is also currently serving. I’ve lived all over the U.S., as well as Europe for 6.5 years. I’ve deployed to Afghanistan and Qatar, and traveled for work to Egypt, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and more where I’ve worked with embassies and partner nations. My job is different at every location, but that’s how the USAF intelligence field works; I love the various skillsets and missions, as well as meeting folks around the world.

I’ll give a little background of my high school and university years. I lived in England during my high school Freshman and Sophomore years, where I played varsity soccer, volleyball, and the saxophone. I was also a member of the Student Council and took French. I competed in a Korean martial art called Kuk Sool Won and won the British National Championship and European titles for all-gender sparring, forms, and techniques. Right before my junior year, my family was stationed in Oklahoma, which was the start of my time at Moore High School! I knew I wanted to join the Speech and Debate Team even though I didn’t have prior experience. I met my best friend at Moore HS, Lester Asamoah, who is still one of my best friends to this day. We had the same school schedule except two classes since he was a senior, so we got to know each other quickly, and he introduced me to all the other clubs I wanted to join. I joined Model United Nations, Youth in Government, Student Council, and soccer. I attended Girls State that summer and won the 2011 Oklahoma Girls State Governor position, then attended the U.S. Air Force Academy Summer Seminar and Young Women’s Political Leadership Summit at American University. My senior year, Coach K signed me up for Mock Trial (I didn’t know until I received my schedule!) and loved it. That year, I was President of the Speech and Debate Team, President of Youth in Government (competed at state), President of Model United Nations (received the scholarship offered for best MUN conference representative), and Secretary of Mock Trial (competed at state and received “best attorney” awards). I also competed in Cross Country and pole vaulting, then returned to Girls State the following summer as a Junior Counselor.

As I entered my undergraduate year, I joined Air Force ROTC and started working at a steakhouse and as a wedding photobooth operator (both are great jobs for getting discounted and free meals, respectively). In college, I was extremely involved in ROTC and really enjoyed my time! Field Training is designed similarly to Basic Military Training, where ROTC cadets go to specified training locations in the summer between their Sophomore and Junior years. I earned “Superior Performer” at Field Training and attended the next year’s Field Training as a Cadet Training Assistant. Around this time, I started working on the university’s research campus as an Undergraduate Research Assistant for the National Institute for Risk and Resilience; it was here where I learned how to analyze data trends and code–I absolutely loved this job and the flexibility around my school and ROTC schedules. I still worked as a waitress, but switched restaurants; I also started competing in pageants that fell under the Miss America system. During my time in ROTC, I received several scholarships during the annual awards ceremonies. My Senior year, I was selected as the ROTC Detachment 675 Cadet Wing Commander and earned the 2017 AFROTC Southwest Region Distinguished Graduate Award.

After graduating from university, I was stationed in Texas for Intelligence School, then was stationed at Cannon Air Force Base, New Mexico to work in special operations. I received Company Grade Officer of the Year and competed in the Miss New Mexico USA Pageant. After New Mexico, I moved to Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina and have mostly worked in Ninth Air Force (Air Forces Central), where we focus on mission sets throughout the Middle East. Here, I’ve won Flight Commander of the Year, Company Grade Officer of the Year, and three other intelligence-specific annual awards. This career field is personally rewarding as it requires critical thinking, constant learning, and decisive, research-backed analysis.