{"id":4682,"date":"2022-10-03T15:37:40","date_gmt":"2022-10-03T19:37:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hiringourheroes.org\/?p=4682"},"modified":"2024-08-28T18:11:33","modified_gmt":"2024-08-28T22:11:33","slug":"salesforce-veteran-spotlight-hope","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hiringourheroes.org\/stories\/salesforce-veteran-spotlight-hope\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018A Salesforce Career Has Given Me Hope\u2019: Meet Jienelle Herndon"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Since 2020, Hiring Our Heroes (HOH) and Salesforce have worked together to connect transitioning service members, veterans, and military spouses with Salesforce certifications to companies looking to grow, strengthen, and diversify their workforces.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The <\/em>Salesforce Fellowship Program<\/em><\/a> (SFP) candidates are not required to have a college degree to participate in this 100% remote fellowship, but they must have a Salesforce certification before the cohort application deadline. They do not earn the certification in the HOH fellowship. The certification is available through Salesforce Military.<\/em> Since 2020, 215 fellows have graduated, and 60 are enrolled in the current fellowship.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This month, Hiring Our Heroes is sharing Jienelle Herndon\u2019s Salesforce Fellowship Program success story. An Air Force veteran with a service-connected disability, she shares the hope she now feels after completing free Salesforce training and regaining purposeful employment in a new career field.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Jienelle Herndon is a veteran with a service-connected disability. She’s working as a Salesforce professional, thanks to Hiring Our Heroes and Salesforce Military.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Name:<\/strong> Jienelle Herndon<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Status:<\/strong> Air Force veteran and military spouse<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Military Occupational Specialty: <\/strong>Military Paralegal<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hometown:<\/strong> Angeles City, Philippines<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Current location: <\/strong>San Francisco, California<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Current job title: <\/strong>Senior Sales Operation Tools Analyst<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tell us about yourself. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I am a licensed nurse practitioner actively transitioning into the Salesforce ecosystem. Along with my master\u2019s degree from Duke University, I have earned the Certified ScrumMaster (CSM) credential, the Salesforce administrator certification, Salesforce business analyst certification, and Slack Certified administrator certification.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Currently, I am working on a data analytics certificate from Hiring Our Heroes\u2019 Career Forward<\/a> program, as well as the Salesforce CPQ certification sponsored by Merivis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I believe the Salesforce health cloud is very underutilized, and I know firsthand the pain points those medical providers go through with their current software. I want to be a part of the revolutionary changes I am sure will happen with cloud-based computing and healthcare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Air Force veteran Jienelle Herndon feels hopeful after earning her Salesforce administrator certification. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Why did you join the Air Force?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

My father joined the military. That is how we received our naturalization, so it was always ingrained in me to be patriotic. I was in ROTC in high school, and after 9\/11, it was the obvious choice for me. I always thought the military was going to be my one and only career.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How did you hear about the Salesforce Fellowship Program?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I learned about Hiring Our Heroes and Salesforce<\/a> through a Veteran Affairs email in 2021. I shared the information with my husband, a data analyst, who pursued the opportunity. Watching him go through the process captivated me; I fell in love with the Salesforce Military Trailhead and saw the potential of health cloud and its current underutilization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I started my journey in May 2022. I loved that the program was accessible to those with disabilities, and most of all, the Salesforce ecosystem is very friendly. By June 2022, I  had obtained my admin certification. By July, I had conquered the business analyst certification (on the first day it was available).   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I see you were hired directly during the matching process of the fellowship, so you didn\u2019t participate in a 12-week fellowship. How did the Salesforce Fellowship Program help you land your current role?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although I did not go through the fellowship program, Hiring Our Heroes was the catalyst that started my journey. I wouldn\u2019t be where I am today without that VA email about HOH.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why is a career as a Salesforce professional a good fit for you?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I had never mentioned it previously, as I wanted to be chosen for merit, but I am a veteran with a service-connected disability due to multiple sclerosis. Cognitively, I function without limitations. But, due to my disability, I sometimes have certain physical impediments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A career with Salesforce has given me hope I can use my previous knowledge, interest, and skills to do good while also being an advocate against ableism and demonstrating veterans with disabilities can be productive and capable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nearly a third (29.6%) of the 12 million veterans ages 21-64 report having a disability.<\/em> Like all Americans with disabilities, veterans with disabilities are covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). A national survey of veterans with disabilities found:<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n