You are a junior in high school and the pressure is on, what are you going to do after graduation?
College was an expensive option and I wasn’t sure what to major in. I also would have to work while attending school and that’s a busy schedule for any college student. I was stumped when it came to thinking about what I wanted to do for a career and in the middle of all this thinking, I was introduced to a Navy recruiter.
He shared some of the most intriguing stories about his travels, bungee jumping off a bridge in Thailand and riding elephants through the jungle while on deployment. He caught my attention and I continued to have the stories he told me circulating in the back of my mind.
While some recruiters bother a lot of high school students, I brought myself to them. Just a few weeks after expressing my interest, I “signed my life away.” I wanted to wear that uniform, do great things for my country and be able to travel all at the same time. It was important to me, my family and my friends. I was the “girly girl” that ran for snow daze queen and was obsessed with doing my hair every day, no one expected me to be that girl to join the Navy.
There was so much support behind me and I couldn’t have been more thankful for that. After moving my tassel from right to left, I celebrated the end of the first chapter of my life and said my goodbyes to start a new one. Off came 12 inches of my hair and the next thing I knew, I was on an airplane headed to boot camp. Being someone that is very close to their family made it a little more difficult to leave home not knowing when you’d be coming back.
Not only did I feel the support around me but I also realized my uncertain decision became more clear, this is where I supposed to be. It was worth cutting my hair off, worth all the tears, worth all the months, weeks, days and hours away from home. I will never regret being the “girly girl” that decided to serve her country. Airman Hallman, where will I go next?