"I am happy to directly contribute to the advancement of innovation."
Whether it’s patrolling in Navy uniform or examining her patent docket at her desk, Angelica has decades of experience about what it means to serve—all across the globe. Her life journey has taken her from her hometown in Pereira, Colombia to live in California, Texas, and now Arlington, Virginia, just a short drive away from the USPTO’s beautiful Alexandria, Virginia headquarters.
Six years of active-duty service
Angelica’s initial military service took her to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, where she worked providing security and physical protection for service members, high-ranking officials, and government dignitaries. She then became an operations specialist who helped to manage more than 700 shipping vessels.
Angelica gained fond memories during deployment all over the world in places spanning from Japan to Guam to Singapore to Bahrain, and more. “Traveling abroad allowed me to experience different cultures firsthand,” she says.
“It helped me gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of the world and the people in it. I believe that’s the reason I am more open-minded, tolerant, and accepting of different ways of life. I took it for granted back then—I wish I could live it all over again!”
Transitioning to a new career
Angelica decided to transition out of military service to spend more time with her husband and landed at the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) as a patent examiner. She reviews patent applications to determine if inventions are eligible for a patent. In doing so, she writes legal office actions and responds to applicants. Her bachelor’s degree in computer science helps her understand patent claims, technology, and scientific drawings.
When considering an application, she reads and understands the invention to determine if it’s in compliance with patent statue requirements and rules. Then, she searches to see if similar technology, known as “prior art,” already exists. If so, she compares the claims. After conducting the prior art search, Angelica determines the patentability of the claimed invention. In other words, whether the invention is new, useful, and non-obvious. The next step is her response about her patentability determination, known as an “Office Action.”
Angelica says her favorite part of the job is having the opportunity to see the state of the art. “I’ve always been interested in music, so I appreciate speakers and headphone with good quality. At the USPTO, you see products before they get to market, some of which will later become successful, some not. You constantly see people making attempts to improve existing technology such as hearing aids to make things better for people. I am happy to directly contribute to the advancement of innovation,” says Angelica.
Before becoming a patent examiner, Angelica did not know about the patent system. She credits the USPTO’s comprehensive training academy as well as her colleagues for helping her knowledge grow. “And, I’m still going to lunch with people I met on my first day,” she says.
What first attracted her to the USPTO over a decade ago are the benefits. Particularly, she enjoys the agency’s special salary rate, non-competitive career ladder, work flexibility, comprehensive health benefits, and retirement plan.
“The agency’s innovative mission allows me the opportunity to directly contribute to the advancement of innovation,” Angelica shares.
An upward career path
Angelica has grown her USPTO career. She advanced to become a primary patent examiner after about seven years as a patent examiner. She also served on a temporary detail assignment as a training quality assurance specialist where she helped develop refresher trainings about patent quality.
Her next goal? To become a supervisory patent examiner, “in order to assist and mentor fellow examiners to achieve both the agency’s and their own goals,” she explains.
But her ambitions don’t stop there. “My future goal is to one day acquire enough knowledge and expertise to be considered a potential candidate for the Senior Executive Service,” she describes.
After beginning at America’s Innovation Agency, Angelica said, “It was shocking to be able to manage my work around my personal life.” That was something she had not consistently experienced in the military. The military did, however, teach Angelica highly translatable skills such as decision making, adaptability, and communication—all of which have helped her succeed in the civil service.