Petty officer first class Kimber N. Dominguez, a 2008 graduate of North Stanly High School, was recently awarded the Naval Education and Training Command’s 2019 Sailor of the Year Award.
Dominguez, who serves as an aviation ordnanceman instructor at the Center for Naval Aviation Technical Training Unit (CNATTU) in Lemoore, California, has had a few weeks to reflect on winning the prestigious Navy award.
“My initial reaction was how grateful I am to have family, mentors, peers and subordinates support me in all that I have had the opportunity to accomplish,” Dominguez, who was given the NETC SOY award at the Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida, on Jan. 23, told SCJ.
Dominguez grew up in Albemarle, attending Park Ridge Christian School and then North Stanly, where she was heavily involved in athletics.
As a member of North Stanly’s cross country and track teams and as a softball player with Albemarle’s local Parks and Recreation Department, Dominguez says her time in Stanly County influenced her career path.
“My teachers and coaches at North Stanly taught me the importance of always giving my 100%,” she said. “Resiliency and teamwork have helped my Navy career in every regard.”
With leadership over 92 instructors, 58 courses and over 3,400 students, Dominguez was the overall winner out of seven sailors in contention for the NETC SOY. These finalists had been picked from a pool of 8,000 sailors.
Dominguez is a departmental leading petty officer in the learning management office. She specializes in ensuring that sailors who come through the CNATTU are fully-trained to the point where they can be valuable assets to the Navy when they go to the “fleet.”
“Dominguez is the epitome of a professional sailor,” CNATTU Commander Ronnie Harper told SCJ. “She has unbelievable work ethic, staunch values, and impeccable moral character. I have not worked with anyone who embodies the Navy’s values of honor, courage, and commitment more than her.”
Under her command as a certified master training specialist, Dominguez was recently able to elevate master training specialist designation levels to 73%. In addition to her job, Dominguez is currently working on her bachelor’s degree in sociology from Saint Leo University in St. Leo, Florida.
“She is the absolute best ambassador for Naval Education Training Command and Center for Naval Aviation Technical Training Unit Lemoore that we could hope for, and she has an incredibly bright future ahead of her,” said Harper.