When and why did you decide to join the military and where were you located when you made this decision?

I decided after I went to the Summer Seminar at the Naval Academy. I decided to join the military because I knew a normal 9-5 job wasn't really what I wanted to do. The military seemed like a good fit for the kind of job I wanted, being a leader, and organizing large projects, and it feels kind of like an adventure. I joined the Navy partially because of my family history in the Navy and it seemed to be the one service that is used outside of just warfare, especially when countries have humanitarian issues, the navy is sometimes the first on the scene to provide aid.

Where did you serve during your time in uniform?

I've been stationed in Hawaii and San Diego California and have deployed to the Middle East and Asia. I've also visited Australia and the Marshall Islands.

What were some of your key memories during your time of service? 

Mostly the close bonds you make with the people you serve with. You are all away from your families and become each other’s greatest confidants while underway. You meet people from all 50 states and various backgrounds that you just can't recreate in a "normal" job.

What is an important value that you took away from your military experience? 

What it means to be a leader. It isn't just being in charge and making the decision, but also balancing your ship's mission with your Sailors' needs. My biggest pride is watching brand-new junior Sailors grow and mature into subject matter experts and gain skills and confidence while doing their job.

 What advice would you give someone interested in joining the military? 

t's not one size fits all, there are a ton of special options and branches in all of the services. In the Navy, we have the rate MU, which are our musicians and they perform around the country in the Navy Band. With the creation of Space Force there are a ton of cyber career paths becoming available as well. For upcoming high school juniors, I would recommend looking into the Service Academy’s and some of their summer programs that you can try to see how you like the military experience.  Also all services have websites where you can take a “personality quiz” to see if there are any career paths that might interest you.