My name is Alaina Garcia. After having lived and traveled a great deal of my life overseas, I have been living just east of Baton Rouge, Louisiana for the last 10 years. As the daughter of a Korean War Marine veteran, and proud mother of an active duty infantry Marine Sergeant, America’s military and her veterans,  has become increasingly important to my every day life. Anyone who knows me is fully aware my passion lies not just within those boundaries but I find it extremely crucial for the hardships our military and it’s veterans endure on a daily basis be put front and center in every aspect of today’s social media platforms. A little about myself; I was born and raised in SW Louisiana. Both of my parents were in law enforcement and/or politics for close to the first decade of my life until my dad took a job in Singapore. I went to Singapore American School from fourth-seventh grades, then moved to Bangkok Thailand where I studied at the International School of Bangkok for 2 years.  Once back in the US, I spent 14 years in Corpus Christi, Texas, where I met my first husband and became a mother to our daughter, Madeline (now 28) and son, Aidan (26). In 2009, my then husband was offered a job, coincidentally, in Singapore. Though he had no desire to accept the position, after much pleading and serious coaxing, he took it. That move was the single most important decision he and I, as parents, ever made. Although I had attended the American school my first time living in Singapore, we chose to enroll our kids into an international school with a student body representing 75 nationalities. To say the experience was extraordinary is an understatement. We could not have been any prouder parents. There was nothing quite as initially stressful as making sure our kids understood first and foremost the importance of cultural awareness. The differences and diversity, along with the need to respect each and every one of those 75 nationalities was paramount in their educational and social success. Because I lived overseas for a decade and traveled extensively, I feel I have come to recognize not just the best in people but what makes us all so unique and worth investing in. Most assume I am college/university educated. I am not. When asked where or how I have accumulated a wealth of useful knowledge along with an ability to offer unique life perspectives, I have no problem admitting it’s all from my travels and my love of reading. I would never say about myself that I am a born leader but I am a born nurturer who takes great pride in my life, my family, my friends, my home, and the 16 animals I take care of alone, now that I am widowed after my second husband passed away a year ago from a brutal 4 week battle with metastatic pancreatic cancer. There is no playbook on how to be a widow, but I feel I am doing better than most, while conquering the hardships and clearing my new path forward. While I prefer to be a “behind the scenes, holding others up” person, I recognize the value in sometimes needing to be on the stage. However, you will never see me willingly being in the spotlight. When it comes to my work history, I can’t say any of it has overly inspired me. However, it certainly was a stepping stone in holding me to task and learning what I am useful for. I am experienced and skilled in exercising diplomacy, and very comfortable working with multiple personality traits. I started out working in commercial real estate while I lived in Texas. Before I decided to become a full-time mom and housewife, I was the executive assistant to a prominent local chef who has his own five-star restaurant in New Orleans, along with his own manufacturing plant. I ended my career 23 years ago after leaving the Louisiana Press Association. My greatest achievements are my two adult children who both contribute heavily to keeping the fabric of our country held together. My son, Aidan being in the military, and my daughter working hard as a paralegal after graduating with honors from a university in England. Beyond that, my greatest joys are my grandchildren.