Sergeant a 'Warrior' in Leadership Pathways courses

Published May 30, 2014
By Senior Airman Madelyn Brown
60th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs

TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- Money was the strongest motivator when Tech. Sgt. Christin Sims, 570th Global Mobility Squadron, began taking Leadership Pathways courses in March of last year.

"I'm a single parent and I don't want my child to feel the financial effects of one income," the Los Angeles native said. "I have taken every single financial course Leadership Pathways has offered. Now I have a financial plan, an emergency fund and I know how to plan for the future."

Sims did not stop there, after getting her finances in order, she went on to complete more than 30 credits in Leadership Pathways, becoming the second person in Air Mobility Command to achieve the rank of "Warrior."

Leadership Pathways is an AMC program to develop Airmen and support the four domains of Comprehensive Airmen Fitness - mental, spiritual, physical and social.

"Travis has maintained the highest numbers for Leadership Pathways," said Wes Yancey, 60th Air Mobility Wing community support coordinator. "For calendar year 2014, we are just shy of 5,000 participants in the program."

Each course allots a certain amount of credits to the individual, Yancey said. Wingman level is obtained at 10 credits, Leader level at 20 and Warrior level at 30.

Even though Sims has attained the highest designation in Leadership Pathways, she has no plans of stopping.

"My focus has shifted from me to getting Airmen in my squadron involved," she said. "You would be surprised how many Airmen are living from pay check to pay check and it doesn't need to be that way. I want to better the finances of the Airmen around me."

When Sims branched out to the wellness, leadership and other courses offered by Leadership Pathways, she also discovered the importance of NCOs taking refresher courses.

"Even if you have heard the information before, it's important to review it," she said. "Sometimes as NCOs we forget what it's like to be an Airman. These courses help us develop ourselves and help us have the tools to reinforce the Airmen we may supervise."

Though the technical sergeant with 14 years of military service has no inclination to leave the military, she also attended the transition assistance program. TAPs is the course required for Airmen leaving the military in the next six months.

"Even though I'm staying in the military, it's important to know how to set my Airmen up for success, whether their path continues in the military or not," Sims said. "I learned a lot from that course such as the Veterans Affairs processes and how important it is to annotate everything in your records when transitioning to civilian life."

To make the courses even more accessible to her squadron, in the future Sims plans on hosting "lunch and learns" for the 570th GMS Airmen to bring the financial information straight to them.

"It's all about developing Airmen in every aspect of life," she said.

Tech. Sgt. Christin Sims, 570th Global Mobility Squadron, receives recognition by Col. Corey Martin May 21 for achieving the "Warrior" level in Leadership Pathways. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Charles V. Rivezzo)