Jennifer Mullen of Tewksbury works full time as an IT project manager for Verizon Wireless and raises her two children. This while her husband, Tom, has been deployed 10 times as an active-duty petty officer first class with the Coast Guard.

Mullen, 33, was recently voted 2016 Coast Guard Spouse of the Year, and competed against winners from the other military branches for the overall award in online voting at msoy.militaryspouse.com. The overall winner will be announced May 5 in Washington.

“[Winning the Coast Guard award] shows me that my peers and those near and dear to my heart acknowledge the work that I’ve done on a day-to-day basis,’’ Mullen said. “The hard work I and my peers have done matters.’’

Jennifer and Tom Mullen have been married for eight years. Even while dealing with moving three times and all her husband’s absences, she helped create The Coastie Voice, a blog to provide Coast Guard families the resources for whatever life brings their way.

She is also working on writing a book for children in Coast Guard families, which will focus on helping them deal with change.

“Not a lot of books talk to Coast Guard kids,’’ Jennifer Mullen said. “When I was trying to teach my son about the military, there was the Navy, or the Air Force, the Army, but there was not much out of the Coast Guard. [The book] would help toddlers and young elementary students understand what parents do in a fun way.’’

Mullen also finds time to volunteer with the Junior League of Boston, which focuses on helping women and children.

She said if she meets new military spouses, she tells them that not everything is under their control, but that’s OK.

“You got to roll with the punches,’’ she said. “Especially with my husband on a boat, you got to be ready for anything that could come your way. Also, you have the option to change your surroundings. If you’re lonely, reach out to the military community.

“It’s important to understand that the folks I’m next to experience the same difficulties branch to branch,’’ she added. “We’re arm in arm. And we should be.’’

Winners from the other branches include: Dave Etter, Kaiserslautern, Germany, Army; Natasha Harth, Washington, D.C., Marines; Lindsay Bradford, Newport, R.I., Navy; Michelle Aikman, Spokane, Wash., Air Force; and Cara Loken, Nebraska, National Guard.

Christina Bagni can be reached at christina.bagni@globe.com.