Contributor

Bianca Strzalkowski

Military Spouse Magazine 2011 Military Spouse of the Year

Bianca Strzalkowski is a proud Marine Corps wife of 10 years, and in May she was named the 2011 Military Spouse of the Year (MSOY) by Military Spouse magazine (MSM). As a military wife and mother of three, Bianca has spent her time volunteering with various organizations, such as the U.S. Veteran Corps, National Military Family Association and the Marine Corps’ Family Readiness program. As a LINKS mentor, she has traveled the East Coast
to educate spouses on the various aspects of military life. Because of her volunteerism, the Commandant of the Marine Corps awarded her with a Certificate of Commendation.

Since being named the 2011 MSOY, she has created a Military Spouse Education Initiative to expand educational opportunities for her peers. With her own student experience as a reference, she believes it is possible for spouses to achieve their own goals around the obstacles of military life. To date, she has met with Congressional leaders such as her own State Senators Hagan & Burr, attended meetings with DOD officials, and has worked with educational organizations such as the American Council on Education to make this idea a reality.

In addition to increasing programming for spouses, Bianca writes a monthly article and blog for MSM, has appeared in media interviews, such as Fox & Friends and CNN Newsroom, and has been a guest writer for USA Today and The Huffington Post. She was recently named as the 2011 Honoree of the Women of Western Wake award for her local county.

Currently, she is the Deputy Director of Membership and Volunteer Outreach for Blue Star Families and is stationed at MCAS New River, Jacksonville, NC. In March, she was appointed the Senior BaseGuide for Victory Media Inc’s new resource program for spouses called www.baseguide.com.