My father was in the military for four years, he went into as soon as he graduated high school at 18. When he got out of the military he was living in Alaska and decided he would start working in the trades. It took him many years but now he own’s a floor installation company. He has told me over and over again that the only reason he made it anywhere in life is because of the military. It taught him how to learn in an environment that keeps changing and follow a routine. These key ideas are what my dad has taught me and helped me expand on in my own life. Seeing my dad’s dedication to our country is what has inspired me to follow his lead. In order to get a head start over my peers and earn a career in the military or a government office I decided to attend New Mexico Military Institute. I first came in as a freshman four years ago. As it is a military boarding school we have our own ranks and version of basic training. The first two weeks when you first arrive is meant for harsh physical training and mental tests. The only reason I ever made it through those first two weeks is because of my dad’s encouragement and the will to graduate from the school. With my dad’s encouragement I managed to make it through the first two weeks and continue with my training. I even managed to earn a rank as sergeant while going through training. Over the past for years I have managed to rank up to major. This meant that I was the second in command for every high school cadet at our school. To get to this point I had to go through six different ranks to get here and while my father couldn’t be by my side physically due to it being a boarding school he would cheer be on from Alaska. We have done family calls every Sunday night for the last five years and I can proudly say that my dad never once doubted me and he cheered me on the whole way through. In order to keep living up to what I invision for my future I have been duel enrolling so in May this year I will graduate with a high school diploma along with my associates degree. This is so that I can graduate college faster and with better credentials. Overall all this work it in order for me to become an intelligence officer either in the CIA or the military just like my dad. He has always been my biggest supporter so in the future I will be the one to serve my country just like him.

Hello, my name is Eloise Gabler. I'm a senior in high school and I attend a military boarding school. I grew up in Anchorage, Alaska but decided that to push myself forward I would need to improve myself first. So, I applied to New Mexico Military Institute, and this is where I learned about duty and honor to not just myself but others. When I originally came to the school I struggled to adapt to the new environment and the change in academic level. After freshman year I adapted to the military lifestyle and applied to leadership rolls within my troop. I enjoyed the experience of learning and mentoring other peers. This led to me pursuing a higher leadership position for Junior year. I was extremely disappointed to receive a lower position than I originally wanted but this gave me the drive to improve myself. I worked harder at my position than I probably would have if I had gotten the role I wanted. It taught me how to take responsibility for my actions and how to grow from them as well. This drive to make myself better in order to earn the roles I would get in my senior year drove me to join more clubs and committees. One committee I joined was the honor board. The group was dedicated to ensuring that students upheld the school’s honor code of “A Cadet will not lie, cheat, or steal, or tolerate those who do. A Cadet will not haze or bully, in any form, a Cadet or another person”. The honor board was sent cases from the school in case a cadet broke this code. Along with helping the school in such cases of an honor violation we also speak to the cadets on why it is important not to haze or bully each other. Along with training others on what to do we are also trained in many things in case we don’t catch the signs of bullying or cyberbullying quickly enough. For example, I am QPR trained in case the worst comes to happen, and I need to help someone out. Joining this committee gave me the opportunity to help others if they are ever bullied. It also improved my application for a new position making it possible for me to be a high rank. With this higher rank it is now much easier to protect those that need it within my school. Right now, I am attending my school with a full ride scholarship. My current dream school is either Brown University or Northeastern University. Both of these schools are pretty expensive along with where they are in the United States. This makes me quite worried about not just the tuition along with the cost of living there. So, this scholarship would lessen my burden along with the amount of money my parents would have to pay to make sure I can attend the schools I dream of.