Honoring Military Children

When ADS Senior Cyber Security Analyst Cory Petko graduated high school six years ago, he’d never even heard of ADS.

But his dad, then a newly retired Navy senior chief, sure did.

“When I first told my dad I was interviewing at ADS, his jaw dropped,” Cory remembers. “When he was in the military, he worked with ADS and used to go to Warrior Expo. He’d bring me home Warrior stickers and everything.”

April is the Month of the Military Child, and it's something we always celebrate at ADS. Employees like Cory remind us why. He can tell you about all the challenges military kids face growing up, from moving and changing schools to not knowing if your deployed dad is safe.

The same year Cory’s father retired from the Navy, Cory graduated high school, where he was active in the school’s Student to Student program. As an ambassador, he’d be paired with incoming military kids and other transfer students, taking them to classes, joining them for lunch, and doing anything he could to make them feel more welcome.

“Going to new schools is terrifying,” he said, remembering how changing curriculums meant he never learned to write in cursive until his senior year, when his AP U.S. Government teacher took the time to teach him what he had missed so he could sign his name.

Cory also attended his school district’s Technology Academy. After graduation, he applied at ADS and was hired as a Technical Support Specialist. His job was to fix anything and everything that was broken. Today, he’s a Senior Cyber Security Analyst, keeping our business safe from cyber attacks. 

While Cory may not have heard of ADS before he applied, he’s sure glad he did. No day is ever the same, he said, and he’s always surrounded by people ready to help him get things done.  As a military kid, he appreciates the ADS mission even more.

“I love that I’m serving those who serve,” he said. ”I remember worrying about my dad when I was a kid. Where was he? Was he safe? It feels good knowing that the work we do here helps the men and women in uniform get home safe.”