Photo By Douglas Stutz | For Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Jovana Losada, assigned to Naval Hospital Bremerton,...... read more read more
For Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Jovana Losada, her connection with Hispanic Heritage Month is evidenced by her always bringing a little part of her Argentinian home and heritage during her five years – and counting - career in the U.S. Navy.
“I’m always keeping in touch with my family in Argentina, baking Argentinian cuisines, and listening to music not only from Argentina but from other Hispanic and Latin America countries,” said Losada, currently assigned to Navy Medicine Readiness Training Command Bremerton as the regional limited duty coordinator for all Navy commands in the Pacific Northwest, home to the third largest fleet concentration in the U.S.
Hispanic Heritage Month provides an ideal opportunity for Losada to reflect and share on her cultural roots.
“Hispanic Heritage Month is important because you are taking a moment to honor everyone’s flag and learn about their cultures,” noted Losada, from Orlando, Florida, a Ridge Community High School 2016 alumnus and American Military University 2023 graduate, with part of her formative years spent growing up in Trenque Lauquen, Argentina.
The Hispanic Heritage Month theme for 2024 “Pioneers of Change: Shaping the Future Together” evokes a candid response from Losada.
“What this means to me is that change begins with us,” she said. “Being from different parts of the world with different cultures unifies us and makes us stronger as a whole,” exclaimed Losada.
Her promising career with Navy Medicine is a direct reflection of her aspiration to help those in need.
“I’ve always loved medicine and initially went to college for nursing. During my sophomore year of school, I felt lost, looking for something greater. I found myself on the Navy website and the idea of joining gave me hope and purpose. Ultimately, I knew my end goal in life was to become a forensic nurse. I decided to join as a corpsman in hopes to commission. I strongly believe that my role as a hospital corpsman will build the strong foundation that I need to achieve my dreams and give back as much as I can,” shared Losada.
After reaching out to a Navy recruiter in December 2018, she put college on hold and prepared for bootcamp. Upon graduating from Navy Basic Training, she entered Navy Hospital Corpsman A School at the Navy Medicine Training Support Center, Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, followed by her initial assignment to Navy Medicine Readiness Training Unit North Island, California, as dive medicine coordinator.
Upon reaching her current command at NMRTC Bremerton, Losada has taken on such duties as limited duty coordinator, medical board coordinator, secondary command deployability coordinator, career development team member, command advisor on parenthood and pregnancy, and work center supervisor.
Her Argentinian heritage has been with her every step along the way.
“My Argentinian roots run deep and influence many parts of my life. Even though I live thousands of miles away, I carry my country in my heart and sprinkle a little bit of my culture, whether it be food, music, or famous individuals, like [Lionel] Messi, everywhere I go. I also love to remind people that we won the World Cup in 2022,” stated Losada.
“In 2007, my family uprooted our lives and moved back to Argentina in hopes to grow a closer relationship with our family and our culture,” continued Losada. “We lived with my grandparents there, eventually moving into a small apartment for the four of us. While living in Argentina, my brother and I rushed to learn Spanish to attend school in the coming weeks. We continued to learn what it is like to live with little and value what we do have. After returning to the U.S. my family had to restart with only the luggage we brought back. My father’s health then began to deteriorate, causing him to leave work, and financial hardship. The trials and tribulations that my brother and I endured caused us to mature early and become the adults that we are today. To this day, my brother and I continue to cherish the values and life skills we acquired and the culture that we came to love.”
Losada honored her cultural legacy last year by taking part in the command’s poster display presentation.
“I chose to do a poster display last year because I felt that Argentina is normally hidden in the shadows. In reggaeton, Argentina was not mentioned as often when compared to Puerto Rico, Cuba, Colombia, and other countries,” explained Losada. “I felt that we were underrepresented within the Hispanic community. Since 2017, Argentina has evolved artistically and is more relevant in the music industry. For example, Argentinians listened to more rock ‘n roll and cumbia villera music. Now, Argentinians are more musically diverse in incorporating reggaeton, salsa, bachata and merengue in their daily lives. As a fellow Argentinian, it warms my heart to see my country expand its horizon and be more diverse.”
Whether it’s distinctive cuisine, scenic vistas, historical relevance, even prominent luminaries, Losada is only too willing to share on her land, her culture, her people.
Especially during Hispanic Heritage Month.
When asked to sum up her experience in the Navy, Losada replied, “A wild roller coaster ride that I do not want to get off of.”
| Date Taken: | 10.02.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 10.02.2024 16:32 |
| Story ID: | 482378 |
| Location: | BREMERTON , WASHINGTON, US |
| Web Views: | 108 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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