Nichole Lovejoy

Share your military spouse story:
My military spouse story starts the same as many other spouses. Girl meets boy. Girl falls in love and boy gets deployed. My husband and I are from neighboring town with mutual friends but I didn’t met my husband until early 2010 after he already joined the Marine Corps. He was home on leave with his roommate and we met at a party. We only had 10 days together before he had to go back to Jacksonville. I wish I could say the rest is history but our journey was only just beginning. By December 2010, we were in a long distance relationship and thought within a few years I would have graduated college, he would get out of the military and we would get married and have kids. Fast forward to December 2013 and he decided to reenlist so we got married and I moved to North Carolina. I was a full time student, working full time and found out he was being deployed in December of 2014. To make our story even better, I found out I was expecting our first daughter. She was born in January 2015 just 5 weeks after my husband deployed. That was 10 years ago and this journey has continued to be an adventure. This year my husband hits 16 years, 14 of which we have been together. We have accomplished so much in this time together. He has remained my biggest supporter and constantly encourages me to grow. We have 3 crazy and amazing kids. I have a bachelors degree with a focus in marketing and I work full time. In my free time, I love to support my community. I am a Rotarian, Chamber member, command team advisor, volunteer with Camp Lejeune Leadership Seminar, Military Affairs Committee and serve on numerous boards. In my free time, I also serve on the connections team at Catalyst Church and enjoy working out. I believe that although the military may decide where you live, you have the ability to make it a home by getting connected. Planting those roots, establishing those relationships and finding thing I enjoyed has certainly helped us to make Onslow County our home.

Share an example of your leadership experience within the military community:
One of my favorite leadership experiences is being HMLA 269’s Command Team Advisor. This position has given me the opportunity to help better my husbands command. It allows me to build relationships with the spouses and advocate their needs to the command in a professional setting. HMLA 269 has been my husband’s home for most of his career and has certainly shaped him into the Marine, husband and father he is today and as the command team advisor, I am able to help new and seasoned spouses build relationships with other spouses and make them feel at home in their command.

Describe your involvement in the military community:
One of the ways that I support other military spouses is through Camp Lejeune Leadership Seminar. This non profit organization exists to bring spouses together and provide skills to enhance leadership ability and support commands. I not only have attended CLLS as a student to grow personally and professionally, but I have also volunteered for additional seminars on the operations and hospitality committees. As part of the chamber of commerce, I also am part of the Military Affairs Committee. The purpose of this organization is to maintain and improve the relationship between the military community and civilian communities. Each month, MAC recognizes a service member of the month and we host 3 fish fry’s per year to say Thank you to our local service members.

Describe how you support your community:
I support my community through serving my community. In 2024 I was recognized as a Golden Rule light keeper nominee for volunteer service. I have volunteered with the following non-profit organizations. -Jacksonville Rotary Club -Rotary Foundation of Jacksonville -United Way (CHEW) -Onslow Victims Center -Camp Lejeune Leadership Seminar -Hope First My passion for supporting my community comes from wanting to give back to a community that welcomed me with open arms 12 years ago. Moving to a new area, as a young military spouse was hard but the people that I have met have shaped me and helped me grow into the successful professional that I am today this day.

What do you advocate for? Why?
I advocated for building connections. I believe that building strong bridges no matter where the military takes you provides you with opportunities to grow both personally as well as professionally. I believe that having a purpose outside of being a military spouse, provides you with the strength that you need to make the most out of each duty station, allows you to find community and make anywhere feel like home.

How have you spread the message of your platform/advocacy?
Being ingrained in the community has certainly helped me with communication. I believe that my voice is heard across Onslow County and as a professional in this community, I believe that my opinion is valued. Onslow County loves their military and is always willing to help anyway they can. In 2021, I was recognized as the Jacksonville Onslow Chamber of Commerce Ambassador of the Year. In 2024, I was also recognized with the Spirit of Rotary Award and as a Golden Light Keeper nominee for my community service.

What do you hope to accomplish with the AFI Military Spouse of the Year^® title?
I hope to encourage other military spouse to dream big and set goals for themselves. As military spouses, we tend to prioritize our husbands careers and focus on raising our children and take care of the home and rarely do we focus on personal growth. I hope to be a positive role model for other spouses and encourage them to go back to school, apply for that job, volunteer with that organization and get plugged in to their community.