PROVIDENCE, R.I. –
Specialist Elisabeth Borno is a culinary specialist in the 169th MP company whose dedication to helping others has led her to serve Rhode Islanders in a variety of capacities.
Borno moved to Rhode Island five years ago from Haiti, where she was born. After speaking to a recruiter and learning how the Rhode Island National Guard would support her desire to serve and her educational goals, she enlisted in November 2016. “I always had the desire to serve in the United States Army, but also my desire was to go back to school and earn my Master’s of Public Administration,” she said. She is currently in school and on track to graduate from University of Rhode Island in December 2019.
Beyond life as a soldier and a student, Borno works as a registered nurse and owns and operates her own business named “Born-O.” When she first started working as a nurse she saw a deficiency in the market for scrubs. “The comfortable ones were expensive and the ones that were not expensive were not comfortable,” Borno said. So she and her husband started “Born-O” to bring comfortable, fashionable, and affordable scrubs to the market.
She attributes her Army training to helping her manage her many commitments. “The Guard, and the Army in general, have taught me a lot of discipline. I use that in my workplace, I use that in my business, and I have learned how to prioritize things.”
Borno says the most rewarding part of her job with the Guard is “serving the best food to the best Soldiers,” and she has done a great job of it. During her 2018 annual training she was awarded the coin of excellence by her brigade commander for her performance. She has continued to gain experience using her craft in the field as she participated in the Philip A. Connelly Culinary Competition, an Army wide competition for excellence in food service.
“SPC Borno is focused on honing her skill as a culinarian to provide the Soldiers being supported the best meal possible,” said Food Program Manager SFC Michael Heroux, “Her courteous and professional manner are contagious to all who she interacts with.”