INDS provided me with the opportunity to tailor a degree to my specific interests in returning to Navy Medicine. In addition to allowing me to satisfy the requirements for admission to medical school, it allowed me to integrate over ten years of experience in the U.S. Navy into my undergraduate degree. This experience guided my degree formation and put me into a position where I can return to Navy Medicine as a Physician and improve on military-civilian relations during large scale disaster response.

My hope is to attend medical school and return to active naval service. As my career progresses, I anticipate that my degree will become more and more important in my day to day work. I hope to transition into leadership roles where I can use my degree to improve interactions between the military and other agencies in the medical field.

In March of 2018 I was recalled to active duty to fulfill service obligations with Coastal Riverine Squadron 8. I was deployed to the Middle East as part of an Embarked Security and Intelligence Team. We were responsible for providing 24/7, 360-degree defense of high value naval assets in the 5th Fleet Area of Operations. This included: defense of high value naval assets during routine transports, in port operations, and at sea operations in support of Operation Spartan Shield.

Outside of college I continue to serve the Navy as a reservist. Functioning as a unit supervisor, I lead 17 sailors in all Navy required training, operations, and conducted various administrative tasks associated with these requirements.

Mentor: Corrie Parks, Visual Arts