Growing up in the Bronx, I always dreamt of becoming part of something bigger. In 2017, I enlisted in the U.S. Navy and became an Electronics Technician, maintaining Satellite Communications, Radar, and Weapons onboard Naval vessels. In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, my ship was deployed in the 7th Fleet to locations in the South China Sea, and while we were unable to travel in those countries, I developed a desire and fascination for understanding more of the world and the role that the United States played in it.
While traversing the Panama Canal, I was selected for the highly competitive enlisted-to-officer accession program known as STA-21 (Seamen to Admiral). The program enabled me to stay as an active-duty sailor while completing my bachelor’s degree and subsequently commissioning as an officer.
At USC, I chose the Human Security and Geospatial Intelligence (HSGI) major as it uniquely applied to my current career as a future officer in the Navy, giving me a further foundation to understand the world from an academic perspective.
As a member of the U.S. Navy, I am part of a team that ensures peace and security for the United States while bringing our democratic principles and methodologies to the rest of the world. Understanding international border conflicts, past genocidal incidences, climate change and human rights is tantamount to executing our missions with intelligence and compassion for the world.
Following graduation, I will continue my career with the military and using what I have learned in the Human Security and Geospatial Intelligence major and likely a graduate degree, thereafter, proceed towards a future in global intelligence.
