Meet Lt. Col. Trujillo Published Dec. 14, 2009 By Airman 1st Class Rachelle Elsea 325th Fighter Wing Public AFfairs TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- This young go-getter had big dreams of immersing herself into the ever increasing world of knowledge. In her youth she had grand visions of countless occupations from a veterinarian to a paleontologist. "I remember around third grade, I went to my mom and I said I want to be every ology there is," said Lt. Col. Clorinda Trujillo, 325th Communication Squadron Commander. "At that time I was into paleontology, but I was also into biology and zoology... and after that I learned that all sciences did not end in ology, like astronomy." She has had a strong drive since her youth to learn as much as possible about everything, with a focus in science, math and language. Raised in North Central South America, her father was often traveling as a soldier in the U.S. Army, so her mother, from Peru, would bring her brother and her to South America while her father was away. Growing up she learned to speak Spanish as a second language. Upon her father's retirement, the family settled in Arizona. "If I was 'from' anywhere it would be Arizona," said Colonel Trujillo. "That is where my parents decided to plant their roots; I ended up going to high school and college there." During her school years she was very active; participating in soccer, swimming, academic decathlon, Latin club, National Honor Society and Army JROTC including color guard and drill team. After high school she spent four years at the University of Arizona. "I did not always know I wanted to be in the Air Force," said Colonel Trujillo. "I didn't know what I wanted to do with the rest of my life because I loved so many things." However, she spent four years in Air Force ROTC in college. "My dad was an influence in me joining the military," said Colonel Trujillo. "But, I was also an introvert; if you met me outside the uniform you would see that I am shy. The military was a way for me to gain confidence; it was something I thought I needed to do." Not only did she graduate with a bachelor's degree in computer science and a minor in math, but she also graduated well exceeding the curriculum. "I am a cornucopia of things," said Colonel Trujillo. "I ended up with almost 200 credits when I graduated college and a bachelor's only requires around 120 credits. I felt really bad just taking the full course load, I always took more." Since college, she has been stationed at Los Angeles Air Force Base, Calif., Peterson AFB, Colo., Arlington, Texas, McDill AFB, Fla., and Turkey. She has also been deployed several times. Colonel Trujillo said her favorite base was Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan, because she was able to watch it evolve. "It is so rugged and rustic," said Colonel Trujillo. "When I walked off the plane, my second time there, it was a beautiful clear day. We were in a valley surrounded by mountains. It was gorgeous and although it is a far stretch, I like to call it the foothills of the Himalayas." Beyond her appreciation for the landscape, she also had a fascination with the people and culture. "The first time I saw the Nomads, it was like I went back to the Middle Ages," said Colonel Trujillo. "It is as if they are stuck in time, it was like reading a page out of Arabian Nights." Outside of occupational traveling, Colonel Trujillo also enjoys traveling in her own time. "I love to travel," said Colonel Trujillo. "My favorite trip was a two week cruise in the Eastern Mediterranean, where I saw Greece, Egypt, Israel, Cyprus, the Black Sea, Ukraine, Romania and a lunar eclipse. I have also been to Alaska, I would like to go back to see the Northern lights and a bear in the wild." At times she travels in pursuit of music. "I have been known to drop everything, if I hear a concert of someone I like is playing," said Colonel Trujillo. "Recently I went to Tampa to see the Star Wars music in orchestra." Besides traveling, she also likes to reading, hiking and computer gaming. She also would like to get back into swimming and diving. Colonel Trujillo has been a part of the Air Force for 16 years and plans to spend at least four more years as a service member. Beyond that, she said she will see what happens and how the cards fall. "There are a couple of things rolling around in my mind," said Colonel Trujillo. "I have considered teaching high school languages or mathematics. I could potentially return to school, just to learn more." For now, her plans are to run a successful squadron. "I am very much a customer first type of person," said Colonel Trujillo. "You cannot get your job done without us doing our job right, just from the support we provide to the entire base. From the network perspective, to the telephones on your desk, to the fighter pilots trying to land their planes, to the any radio communications, none of this happens if we don't do our job right." Colonel Trujillo said it is important for her Airmen to understand that that is the function they are here to provide and if they fail, the whole base fails. She prefers to hold her Airmen to a higher standard. "Everything we do can be improved upon," said Colonel Trujillo. "I don't want anyone to be happy with the status quo, there is always a way to do things better. I challenge folks to look for how to improve the jobs that they are doing even if it requires changing an Air Force Instruction or a Technical Order." But, Colonel Trujillo is not all serious, all the time. "There has to be a balance," said Colonel Trujillo. "It's not all about work and it's not all about play. You have to find your own balance between what is important to you. It makes us all more productive to the overall Air Force mission." For more information on the 325th Communications Squadron click here.