Ceasarae Galvan

Share your military spouse story:
I was in 6th grade when I ended up front row at a Skillet concert next to a boy that I'd never met, but couldn't help myself from talking to. When the night ended I realized I didn't even know his name. Two year later I transferred schools and there he was. We instantly became close and were constantly getting into trouble for talking in the halls and being late to class. One day he kissed me in the cafeteria and I spent the next week writing "I'm going to marry Austin" all over my notebook. When the year ended I transferred schools again and seeing each other was rare and after a few years we were strangers. Fast forward 4 years and I was a single mom, full time student, photographer, and volunteer firefighter. One night while leaving the fire station I drove passed his childhood neighborhood and started to wonder how he was doing. I added him on Facebook and 3 days later we picked a wedding date. He was deployed at the time so I packed up what I could fit into a backpack and moved myself and my 2 year old son to Minot, North Dakota to wait for him to come home. When he got back it was like no time had passed. Though we hadn't seen each other in years we were instantly at home together. We got married a few weeks later and blended our families (our boys are the same age and became instant best friends). On our first anniversary we welcomed our daughter into our lives who was born with multiple disabilities including a rare, life threatening condition called Aicardi syndrome, and we were instantly relocated to our current home at Scott where I was able to find a true community of friends to provide support. We have been through more hospital stays than I can count, surgeries, sickness, and more with our daughter, and our military community has always been there to support us, and I strive to be the same support to others who need it.

Share an example of your leadership experience within the military community:
Leadership is something that has always come natrually to me, but that I have put in work to improve. In high school I was selected for a competitive leadership program that allowed me to learn from, and work alongside, leaders in my local community, local businesses, charities, and local government. I believe that these experiences are what led me to be able to take on leadership roles in the military community. I am an agent for change and I work to mobilize the community to fight injustices. I was hand picked to be the first Director of Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion for a nonprofit that serves military families. I volunteer full time to help military families facing discrimination, or those needing assistance with disability related accommodations in military housing. I also had the pleasure to attend the 2022 Cohort for the Military Spouse Leadership Development Program where I was able to learn and grow my skills and abilities to better serve the military community.

Describe your involvement in the military community:
When we arrived at Scott I knew that I wanted to get involved with our military community. I became a key spouse for our squadron where I was able to support families through deployment and crises, as well as work alongside the booster club to plan morale events. My favorite thing I was able to do as a Key Spouse was deliver "boo bags" full of treats to the doorsteps of the children in the squadron to celebrate Halloween during Covid. During the 5 years I have been a military spouse I have done over 100 free photoshoots for military families who could not otherwise afford to capture those memories. One year I partnered with an artist in the neighborhood to create a hand painted photo booth and do free photos of all of the families trick-or-treating on base. I am grateful for the support I have received from the community and I want to give back as much as possible. I frequently volunteer for events on base, and am always willing to lend a hand to my neighbors.

Describe how you support your community:
When my daughter was born with multiple disabilities we quickly realized how many challenges families with disabilities face both in the military and civilian world. One of our biggest challenges has been finding safe, accessible housing that meets her needs. I began posting educational videos on Tiktok and quickly grew an audience, reaching up to 2 million viewers per month. I then connected with Armed Forces Housing Advocates where I started as a disability advocate, and now the Director of JEDI. I volunteer full time and help families living in military housing who need disability accommodations, or face other forms of discrimination. I have also had the opportunity to travel to D.C. and meet with various legislators to share my story and advocate for legislation to protect military families with disabilities, and I continue to do so. I have also had the opportunity to write educational guides on disability rights in the military and teach families virtually as well.

What do you advocate for? Why?
I am not quiet about the things that I believe in, and you can often find me backing causes related to EFMP, food insecurity and other issues affecting military families, however, my primary passion is safe housing. No one deserves to live in a home that has mold, safety hazards, or is inaccessible, especially not while they're serving our country. I spent a year giving my daughter sponge baths, and having to physically lift her wheelchair over barriers due to the inaccessibility in our home. Military families deserve safety, stability, and dignity. I work to educate military families on their rights, educate housing providers on their responsibilities, and educate legislators on what its truly like for these families in order to ignite change.

How have you spread the message of your platform/advocacy?
I have had the opportunity to speak to podcasters, reporters, and journalists for local and national publications on issues related to military families, housing, and disability rights and continue to work with them as a source for related projects. I was recently featured on NPR to speak about the connection between the housing crisis and food insecurity in the military. I have also been featured in publications by Stars and Stripes, Lifewire, and Newsy, as well as podcasts like Milspouse Mastermind. I also leverage social media. I have a large personal social media following where I share about disability rights, housing, and military issues. I also run the Tiktok for my nonprofit and write articles for their blog.

What do you hope to accomplish with the AFI Military Spouse of the Year^® title?
I have been inspired by the amazing spouses who have held MSOY titles for years and have learned so much from their platforms. I am truly motivated by the change that they have been able to cultivate through their platforms and would love to do the same. I am incredibly grateful for the military community that surrounds me and want to do what I can to act on areas of opportunity. My ultimate goals would be to eliminate PCS homelessness and make it easier for military families to access safe housing, especially military families with disabilities who need homes that meet specific needs, and also to empower these families to advocate for themselves and others.