MONTEREY, Calif. - Chief Cryptologic Technician (Interpretive) Sarah Sperling serves as the leading chief petty officer for the Far East Asia division, or N32, at Information Warfare Training Command (IWTC) Monterey.

Originally from McNeal, Arizona, Sperling enlisted in the Navy in 2006 and graduated from the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center (DLIFLC) in 2008 from the Korean Basic Course. From there, she excelled in multiple challenging assignments until eventually in 2020, was given the opportunity to return to IWTC Monterey as a staff member.

In her current position, she leads 130 Sailors while they attend language courses in Chinese-Mandarin and Korean at DLIFLC.

"This was never something I thought I would be able to do, but I am excited for this opportunity,” said Sperling. “I humbled by the trust placed in me by my community, to be a part of the team pushing the next generation of Navy linguists out to the Fleet."

She adds there are various challenges but her Sailors keep her inspired.

“COVID has made things tough,” admits Sperling. “Balancing my job with being the single mom of my son who is in a virtual first grade learning environment definitely has its challenges. But the command supports me by allowing great flexibility with the use of telework. It is so rewarding to interact with the Sailors, seeing their motivation and seeing what makes them the unique individuals that they are. I’m so inspired by their decision to join our Navy team, and am committed to sending them to the fleet not only as good linguists, but more importantly, as good Sailors.”

Master Chief Cryptologic Technician (Interpretive) Adam Shucard, IWTC Monterey’s senior enlisted leader shared, "She is a mama bear with those Sailors. Since her first day onboard, she has gone well above and beyond to ensure her Sailors are cared for, motivated and ready to learn, and most importantly ready for the fleet."

Shucard adds, “With the added complexities this year with COVID-19, having stellar Sailors on staff like Chief Sperling–to mentor and mold our newest CTIs–is more critical than ever, especially as the Navy continues its shift in focus to Great Power Competition.”

When asked what qualities or characteristics about Sperling stood out, Seaman Breanna Cherchio, leading Seaman for N32 said, “One of the things that I have admired about chief since I met her, is her ability to make Sailors feel cared for. She makes herself available for us if we need her, and never makes it seem like you're putting her out, no matter how busy she is.”

IWTC Monterey, as part of the Center for Information Warfare Training (CIWT), provides a continuum of foreign language training to Navy personnel, which prepares them to conduct information warfare across the full spectrum of military operations.

For more on Information Warfare Training Command Monterey, visit https://www.netc.navy.mil/IWTCMonterey and http://www.monterey.army.mil/Service_Units/IWTC_Monterey.html, or find them on Facebook.

With four schoolhouse commands, a detachment, and training sites throughout the United States and Japan, CIWT trains over 22,000 students every year, delivering trained information warfare professionals to the Navy and joint services. CIWT also offers more than 200 courses for cryptologic technicians, intelligence specialists, information systems technicians, electronics technicians, and officers in the information warfare community.

For more news from the Center for Information Warfare Training domain, visit https://www.netc.navy.mil/CIWT, www.facebook.com/NavyCIWT, or www.twitter.com/NavyCIWT.