I joined the Air Force Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) program at Detachment 750 here at St. Joe’s in the fall of 2016. I first became interested in the military because my father did ROTC and served in the Army for 17 years. I learned about our campus ROTC program from a classmate and decided to join. That decision was the best I have ever made.

Since joining, I have had the privilege tocontract into the Air Force. Through this program’s discipline, camaraderie and professionalism I have grown so much as a person, learned more than I could have imagined and made many long-lasting friendships.

In the summer of 2017, I traveled to Alabama and Mississippi to take part in Field Training, a rigorous 18-day program designed to train and evaluate cadets in an intense military environment. This was one of the most challenging experiences I have ever gone through, but by completing it, I learned how to push myself past my limits.

After completing Field Training and entering the Professional Officer Course, which consists of juniors and seniors in ROTC, I have applied the leadership skills I developed by teaching the General Military Course for freshman and sophomore students.

I am continuing to learn about myself and my leadership style. Being surrounded by similar, like-minded and positive individuals, I am motivated and inspired to continuously challenge myself.

After I graduate from St. Joe’s, I aspire to be a physician’s assistant (PA). As a PA in the Air Force, I hope to make a positive impact on people’s lives by providing medical treatment and care. I look forward to living a life of service to others, both in the United States Air Force and as a PA.

I am thankful for the opportunities Air Force ROTC Detachment 750 has given me and I am excited to continue my military journey.

Being a cadet in Air Force ROTC has helped me embody the St. Joe’s values of being a person with and for others, and I will always carry my experiences in Air Force ROTC here at St. Joe’s with me when I leave.