Seoul, Republic of Korea –
Rear Admiral Lisa Franchetti, Commander U.S. Naval Forces Korea,
visited Sungshin Women’s University in Seoul November 18 where she spoke
to first-year students about leadership principles and career
development and answered questions about her role as the first female
U.S. Navy flag officer stationed on the Korean peninsula.
The visit to the women’s university is part of a “good neighbor”
community outreach initiative between U.S. military personnel and
citizens from the Republic of Korea.
During her remarks, Rear Admiral Franchetti shared her personal story
of how she pursued her dream of becoming a commanding officer of a U.S.
Navy warship even before the Navy allowed women to serve on combatant
vessels.
“I established my career goals early and I did everything I could to
prepare for those goals,” said Franchetti. “I worked hard to get as
much experience and earn as many qualifications as I could. And when
the doors of opportunity opened up for women (to serve on Navy
warships), I was ready to walk through.”
While discussing her personal leadership philosophy, Rear Admiral
Franchetti also encouraged students to develop their own leadership
style early in their careers and think of themselves as leaders.
“Every one of you has the potential to become a great leader,” said
Franchetti. “It’s important to think about how you’re going to lead and
relate to other people, whether you lead just one person or hundreds of
people.”
The event concluded with a question and answer session where Rear
Admiral Franchetti had the opportunity to offer advice to students about
their dreams and career goals.
“I learned all I really needed to do was focus on being my best,” said
Franchetti. “I knew what I wanted to do, I knew what I needed to do to
get there, and I had faith in my goals.”
Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Korea is the regional commander for the
U.S. Navy in the Republic of Korea and provides expertise on naval
matters to area military commanders, including the Commander for the
United Nations Command, the Combined Forces Command, and Commander, U.S.
Forces Korea.