Blake Bostick
My Greatest Accomplishment:
Naturally, the on-going accomplishment of fatherhood, which began in summer 2022 thanks to my fellow Drexel alumna wife, has been my greatest. Professionally, I co-planned and commanded the first-ever implementation of an emerging capability in a contested combat environment, developing standards for the United States and partner nation Air Forces across four continents. The effort validated a technology that will ultimately allow for an estimated 70% decrease in deployed operations personnel, beginning in the next three years. This initiative earned me U.S. Central Command’s Innovation Award, as well as personal thanks from the command’s highest-ranking military member.
How Drexel Helped Me:
Drexel thrives in hard skill instruction, like many other universities, but gaining and refining soft skills prepared me most for my time as a service member. Through intentional mentorships with faculty as both a resident assistant and as member of student government, I built upon leadership qualities that allowed me to excel almost immediately as a military officer. There is no shortage of extracurricular groups on campus, where I learned the concept of many different organizations working in concert toward a common purpose or goal, a tenet of military strategy. Furthermore, with Drexel having such a strong pull for international students, I was able to learn and practice all this with a very diverse population, which exposed me to many cultures before I was ever deployed.
Where I Hope to Be in Five Years:
In spring 2023, I begin to transition out of active-duty service and start my career in the private sector. In five years, I hope to have completed my MBA and be on a trajectory where I can continue to innovate with new ideas and approaches to ongoing problems. I hope to take on leadership roles in organizations outside my primary job and continue improving my work-life balance as a civilian father and husband.
The Change I Would Most Like to See in the World:
As Mahatma Gandhi said, “If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change. As a man changes his own nature, so does the attitude of the world change towards him.” Our world often lacks economic equality, social justice, access to education and/or health care, to name just a few issues. We all would choose to change this on a grand scale if we had the resources. In the interim, the best we can do is be better than we were yesterday. Taking it one step further, I want to help someone different achieve that same goal each new day.
