I am an undergraduate student at the University of Massachusetts Amherst perusing a bachelor’s degree in Communication Disorders with a minor in Business. I am currently in Air Force ROTC along with being enlisted in the Massachusetts Army National Guard. I have a long heritage of service dating back a century; my brother is currently enlisted in the Marine Corps, my father is an Air Force veteran, my grandfather served as a medic during Vietnam, and my great grandfathers served in WWII. However, that’s not the deciding factor in my ambition to serve our country. As a child I loved watching military movies, some of my favorites include American Sniper, Hacksaw Ridge, and Saving Private Ryan. I idolized the protagonists in those stories, and at some point, I decided “why can’t that be me?”. After enlisting, as I made my way through initial entry training and checking into my unit, I realized like many things my expectations did not mirror reality. Over the last three years since enlisting I’ve experienced poor leadership and many controversies. I’ve seen many Non-Commissioned Officers receive UCMJ due to sexual harassment of incoming soldiers, I’ve seen leaders fight with each other in front of troops, and I’ve experienced the effects poor planning and time management have on training exercises making them ineffective. My perception of the military has more than been altered since joining, and with that my reason to serve has evolved. Through many experiences since being in the ranks, I believe a strong leader is someone who can effectively communicate in a timely manner; someone who can cultivate a culture of esprit de corps and a culture where safety procedures are followed and enforced. I believe a leader should also take the time to get to know the lives of their subordinates and be able to share parts of their own life to build camaraderie, trust, and unit cohesion. Most importantly, a leader must hold themselves to the highest standard of morals and professionalism. With future war with a peer adversary on the horizon, the military must be prepared, organized and undivided. We are in dire need of new effective leaders able to adapt to the changing climate as recruiting and retention rates are at an all-time low, and new light is being shed on more and more issues in the ranks every day. The reason I decided to serve as an officer is because I believe I can be that positive difference. Over the past few years, I’ve showcased my leadership potential in various ways. While in advanced individual training, I finished as my platoon’s honor graduate, I received two Army Achievement Medals for exceptional service, and I was my battalion’s soldier of the year in 2022. I additionally served on multiple in-state missions and have proven leadership potential. With a position in the state education office left unfilled for the past few years, navigating education recourses for the national guard has been challenging. I have taken the initiative to mentor new soldiers coming into my unit through the process of applying for and accessing tuition waivers and GI Bills. I have no plans of slowing down either. Within the next few months, I am projected to make sergeant. Before commissioning into the Air Force in a few years, I plan to use that position to help foster an environment for new soldiers that I would have liked to see when joining. I believe through my past experiences and my ambitions I am very prepared for a future career in service to our country.