My name is Dr. Dominique Pompey. I am a wife, Milspouse, mama, and proud member of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. An educator at heart and creative by nature, I have spent a good chunk of my life figuring out what my purpose looks like and how I want to show up in the world. That journey has been everything.

I was born and raised in Richmond, VA, but military life has taken us to places I have only ever dreamed of. From California to Europe and not the DMV, I have lived the reality of building a life, a home, and a family across time zones and continents. It has not always been easy, but it has definitely been worth it.

I did not stumble into education. I chose it. Teaching gave me a foundation I carry into everything I do. And I knew there was more I wanted to contribute.

The desire led me to instructional design, where I discovered a different kind of classroom. One without walls, without grade levels, without limits on who could be reached. Instructional design deepened my understanding of how people learn and gave me the tools to design experiences that are intentional, learner-centered, and grounded in the belief that good design meets people where they are. At the core, it’s the same work. It has always been about the people.

My professional story doesn’t stop there. In May 2026, I successfully defended my dissertation, and that changed everything.

As a MilSpouse, I have always been curious about the effects of service life on military-connected children. The deployments, the reintegrations, the permanent change of stations, the constant loss of relationships; it’s a lot for anyone, but especially for the kids who are still figuring out who they are. I have two little ones of my own. We live this life every day. But in my research, I deliberately chose to focus on military-connected adolescents to avoid my personal bias clouding the work.

What I found confirmed what I already felt. These kids are resilient, but resilience should not be a requirement. The gaps are real, and the system is not keeping up.

Whether you are here for the research, the instructional design, or simply because something about this space felt familiar, you are in the right place. I am building something at the intersection of scholarship, design, and real life. My work is an extension of who I am, not separate from it. And I am just getting started.