School, Work, and Play…The story of a girl

The face of success is different to every individual. For some its a big home with fancy cars in a driveway, for some its being able to go away every weekend without a worry in the world, and for others its being able to just be able to rest their head comfortably every night knowing they played the hand they were dealt to the best of their ability. They say make it in NY and you can make it anywhere…if you live in long island that statement is true and then some.

Women in militaristic organizations oftentimes go underappreciated, and unheard to some degree in part due to their nurturing demeanor and their assumed physical inferiority. With the world evolving and people more informed and confused than ever I was able to find a bright spot in a former classmate who made a decision to succeed. Ms. Myers who went from teaching, to the the army, had to make a choice not many would from where we come from. From the outside looking in the decision sounds a bit outlandish, but with life presenting uncertain long term circumstances she chose a path that has been tried and true since the inception of our island…the military.

Teaching was what she initially set out to do and accomplished out of college then life happened. “I drove away from the gas tank in tears” is how her search for more began. Debt, and the inability to function how she envisioned paired with choice timing lead her to make a change that she has yet to regret. After attending her younger cousins Military basic training her curiousity took over and she eventually found her self enlisting in the Army after seeing there was potential for growth.

Anyone that takes a leap at life has a why and for her the why was the fact that she could make sure she and her family would be okay from a medical, financial, and safety standpoint. In doing so shes also been able to explore physical limits she’d never known, places she’d never ventured, and situations she may have never been able to resolve prior. Looking for happiness is a lifetime journey that not many even get to step foot on, but with her efforts in the army, and later as a recruiter shes been able to establish quite a few footprints with many more to come.

In her time span in the military shes completed 12 ruck walks, met with many young men and women including myself whose lives have been altered for the better from troubled situations, and learned to become a soldier in both life and on the battlefield. Not many people have the ability to go from teacher to pupil and progress the way she has and embrace the proccess. When looking back at the situations that arose in her path to attaining her sense of independency the only thing she wishes she could do different is join straight out of high school.

Her journey to where she is now was everything but normal, and she had some setbacks along the way both physically and mentally. Creating footprints on a quest to happiness takes sacrifice, effort, love, and persistence. As an army recruiter shes been able to use her story and path to help others reach for something more than the dead end realities many young people with limited resources and little to no education deal with on a day to day basis. Thank you Ms. Myers and Happy Womens History Month.