One way or another, the military has always been part of my life. Yet from the documentaries I enjoyed watching as a child or summer vacations I spent on the beaches of North Island, I never fully understood what that meant to me. That changed when, as an aimless freshman, I joined the U.S. Naval Sea Cadet Corps. Sea Cadets made me who I am today.

During the program, anything that I considered special about myself was thrown out the window, as I was consistently reminded that I was no different from anyone else and would be treated as such. This definitely was a mental and cultural shock for me, but one that I needed. When your accomplishments are recognized with minimal praise and your flaws are pointed out in a blunt fashion, your mind becomes stronger. Sea Cadets helped humble me as a person and recognize that there is always something I can do to improve myself. Sea Cadets made me who I am today.

Attending recruit training was the first time that I was truly on my own, with neither my parents to help me out nor my friends to have my back. Spending my Christmas and New Year in the shivering cold of San Luis Obispo pushed me to my limits and made me question if I had made the right decision by joining the program. However, seeing my Petty Officers working around the clock to train us the best way that they could and eventually leading my division to be the training’s Honor Division made me realize that for the same reason I had chosen to give up enjoying my winter break at home to become a Sea Cadet, they had given up theirs to prepare the next generation who would one day succeed them. Their assertive yet selfless methods of leadership inspired me to one day become like them, and three years later as a Chief Petty Officer, I finally have. Sea Cadets made me who I am today. 

Even before I entered middle school, I was already thinking about what I wanted to be in the future. Where I wanted to go, the things I wanted to do. But I never thought about how I was going to accomplish that. The Sea Cadets changed that, opening my eyes to the countless opportunities that the military offers for aspiring young men and women to achieve their dreams, provide for their family, ensure stability in their lives, and ultimately serve a purpose greater than themselves all at the same time. I was introduced to people from many walks of life who had all taken different paths to enter the military, but whether they attended a service academy, enrolled in Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC), or enlisted straight out of high school, all of them expressed how the military had provided so much for them and that they had no regrets in their decision to join. More importantly, those people helped me expand my options in what I want to do after I graduate and how I want to reach my goal of becoming a pilot. Even if I don’t know every step I’m going to take, I know that I want the military to be one of those steps. Sea Cadets made me who I am today.

Even after joining the Sea Cadets, I am still not perfect. There’s no shortage of uncertainties in my future, nor am I an impeccable Petty Officer who has perfected the military style of leading others. But I am a better person than I was before. I’ve come to have a greater appreciation for those around me, and I recognize the importance of having discipline in my life. And now, as I finish my last few months in the program and prepare my junior Petty Officers to take the reins of my division, I can truly say that Sea Cadets has made me who I am today.