Personal Narrative: Freshman Officer

Growing up the daughter of an Army Basic Training failure was an embarrassment for quite some time. My father went to Army Basic Training straight out of high school, and came back shortly after leaving. He was discharged for injuries of his knees; he was weak. One would not assume a child of someone who failed Basic Training would be eager to go, however I knew it was my time as soon as I received a call from a recruiter asking me to come in. It was my chance to show my dad the person I am without him, as well as fight for my country. I conquered Basic Training the summer in between the summer of my junior and senior year at the age of seventeen. There are four easy steps to Basic Training: two flights, reception, training,

Over the course of the past four weeks, The Chief Petty Officer Academy has challenged my thought processes, pushed my physical abilities, and helped me become a more professional, even tempered chief and leader. My experience at Training Center Petaluma has encouraged and nurtured new leadership qualities that I will implement within The United States Coast Guard Band to help improve the climate of the organization. Of the seemingly countless elements that I will employ in my effort to be a better Chief upon return, there are three that are most memorable. First, the over-arching leadership curriculum has aided me in the development of a concise leadership philosophy. Second, courses in facilitative leadership have significantly improved my

I went pre-med before getting deployed and as an intern I've seen a lot of horrible things. But when it's your friend... Someone you serve with... It stays with you forever.

Did I make it? That was the question I was asking myself the night before what was going to be one of the most special days of my life. After being called to leave for Air Force Basic Training on a short 8-day notice, I was now finally at the end of my journey and tomorrow I would graduate and become an Airmen. The nerves and excitement were running through my body as I was unable to sleep in anticipation of the big day. Now the day is here and I get to celebrate all my hard work by seeing my family and earning the title of an Air Force Airmen.

Having a black father and a white mother has always had some family members question my kinship to them. The older I got, the more my identification became reliant on one aspect of myself over the other. The African-American part of me became suspect in the eyes of certain family members with no real comprehension on my part as of why. I saw ignorance towards my whiteness, not only within society but within my own family, which resulted in the inability to perceive my blackness.

There were many valuable topics covered during my time at the Chief Petty Officer Academy (CPOA), however three of them have and will continue to help shape me as a leader and be useful to assist those I work with at my upcoming duty assignment. There were many take-backs from my five weeks at CPOA; however the three I found the most valuable are wellness/fitness, facilitating meetings, and team building. These three very simple techniques can be quiet challenging for some and do create greater challenges if not used at all.

On 01-25-17 I responded to the above address. Upon arrival I observed an officer talking to Ciro Castro who was speaking through a brocken window in the door and he refused to come outside. I also saw Christine Young sitting on the ground in the neighbors yard talking to Ofc Matthews.

On February 24, 2017, I responded to 2809 W Royal Oaks Drive in reference to an intoxicated subject. Beaufort County Dispatch advised me a male was intoxicated attempting to drive a vehicle. I arrived in the area and observed a gray 2014 Chev Camero, bearing a South Carolina license plate; MMJ124 parked in the roadway. The individual was standing behind the vehicle, and appeared to be unstable by not keeping his balance while standing.

The Junior Cadet Corps is a middle school organization founded on integrity, leadership, and respect. The junior cadet corps, unlike JROTC in high school, did not garner the highest respect from peers at my middle school. JCC was often viewed as an escape for students from the physical demand of athletics. Unfortunately, many of the students within the class were students who were at high risk of gang exposure and suffered from low income status. Very few took the class with the mentality of being challenged. I was thirteen when I joined the class and I immediately wanted to leave; I was a shy girl with no voice being yelled at and told to do push ups. However, I chose to remain in the class.

Hi, my name is Hannah Lancaster and I am a freshman at the Career and Technical High School and prior to going to the Career and Technical High School I had listed ROTC as one of my electives I would like to join but sadly it never made it onto my schedule. I was wondering if I could start out going to ROTC sophomore of my High School career and if so if I have to take any extra courses for missing my MS1

As a Correctional Officer for the State of Colorado, I am motivated and tempted every day to promote but do not currently have the degree to move further into my career. I would like to increase my knowledge and experience in my career through law enforcement, but the only way to guarantee that I excel with experience and education depends on my motivation into evolving a Bachelor’s degree. My plan is to follow through my ideas and turn them into my dream coming true. I lost track of education and motivation when I was at Colorado State University of Pueblo in 2010, not realizing what I was throwing away at the time. Knowing that I was incorrect and foolish to get rid of something that is critical in life has made me want to complete something that was broken and make it whole again.

When I was a sophomore I decided that I was going to run for the two-year student body officer position, Assistant Secretary. I ran my campaign, and I fell short. I was devastated. I went home, and cried. I had stiff competition, but I thought for sure that I would get it. But what I finally focused on was what the SBO advisor told me after the winners were announced. She told me that I better run again next year because she believed I could do it. I clung tight to those words as the school year progressed and as I watched the newly elected SBO’s go about their duties. When the following April came, I again signed up to run for office. I had stiff competition, and I didn’t know if I was going to make it, again. I did make it. I won. I was the 2016-2017 Juab High School student body historian! I couldn’t have been more happy.

When I started in FFA a chapter officer convinced me, that I would be good at public speaking, I immediately started preparing for it, because they believed in me. I won that public speaking contest and every year since I have helped coach the freshman speakers, and have made them believe in themselves.

Although it may seem counter-intuitive, one of the proudest moments of my life was when I tried out for an officer position on my dance team and didn’t earn the title that will haunt me for the rest of my life: “Senior Lieutenant.” I fixed my world around that title, and it would determine the level of my leadership position on the team. The day after the results were announced should’ve been the most dreadful day of my life; having to get up and look in the mirror at the failure staring back at me, then having to drag myself to school and master the art of not being seen to avoid the shame. However, this day was something to the contrary. I knew I was internally devastated for letting the incredible opportunity slip through my fingers, but

One of the best personal examples I can think of is during my time in the Savannah Regional Police Academy. I was young and a little too cocky. I did not take all my training seriously enough, because I thought I was already proficient in most of the criteria the class covers. I did well in class, but when it came time for the shooting range qualifications, I found myself nervous and under prepared.