DAHLGREN, Va. –
Jessica Delgado always had ambition. She grew up in Puerto Rico in a family of strong women: One aunt was a lawyer, another a doctor. Her mother worked as a nurse.
Delgado majored in microbiology as an undergraduate and planned to pursue a medical degree, a path that would allow her to help people. Then something unexpected happened: She fell in love with the study of microbes. She earned a graduate degree in microbiology and became a food microbiologist.
That decision set in motion a career that would lead her to Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division, where today she serves as deputy department head for the Electromagnetic & Sensor Systems Department.
Delgado arrived at NSWCDD in 2006 as a scientist in chemical biological defense, then went on to work in weapons systems safety, integrated topside engineering and electronic warfare. She also spent two years at the Pentagon.
“What appealed to me about Dahlgren and the work we do is that we’re still helping people,” she said. “Though it’s not in the way I imagined, our work is important for the health of our country and ensuring our warfighters return home.”
While Delgado attributes much of her success to hard work and a willingness to learn and accept new challenges, mentors have played a significant role in her career.
“Mentorship has been key in my career development and overcoming challenges,” she said. “Really good mentors become champions, and they are the ones who go above and beyond and advocate for you.”
That was the case in 2013 when a mentor – Alan Dean, then the lead of workforce strategy at NSWCDD – told her about a two-year detail at the Pentagon and encouraged her to apply. Delgado hadn’t heard about the job. She researched the role, had an interview and got it.
“That was transformative – a pivot point in my career,” she said. Expanding her perspective about the Department of the Navy opened her appetite to lead in Dahlgren.
Today, Delgado enjoys paying it forward. “Mentorship is core to my values; I mentor several people. I make sure to always make time to provide advice, whether it’s on the technical side, career development, even work-life balance. I want to make sure people can come to me and really talk about anything.”
The best mentors provide context and perspective, she said. They also tell you what may be hard to hear.
“I always ask my mentors: Where’s the spinach between my teeth? What is that thing I need to improve on? You cannot get to that in a relationship with a stranger, because it’s not going to be taken from where it comes from, which is a place of care and experience.”
Dahlgren, she said, has given her the opportunity to be both mentee and mentor. And it has led to a career she couldn’t have imagined two decades ago.
“I never thought I would be leading in an engineering organization in the largest Navy in the world doing super cool stuff for the warfighter,” Delgado said. “It’s been a very fulfilling and fun journey so far. We’ll see what happens next.”