Internal Struggle Response

The Setup
     I grew up in a family where military service was not only common, but also somewhat expected. Both my parents served in the Army, my dad retiring after 22 years. Of my four aunts and uncles two are in the Navy and one is in the Army. Three of my four grandparents served in one way or another in WWII. Having grown up on military bases my whole life and exposed to this legacy of military service, I was pretty sure I wanted to serve as well. If I did, I knew I wanted to be an officer and lead, so I figured ROTC would be the best route for me. It would allow me to go to college and get a degree and when I graduate I would 'owe' anywhere from 4-12 years depending on my job and level of training.

The What
     Fast forward to senior year of high school. I was in the middle of applying to and touring colleges and like most seniors was overwhelmed. In the back of my mind were my previous thoughts of ROTC, but conflicting for space were also plans of being a doctor and an engineer. I had narrowed down ROTC to just that for the Air Force because I figured that was the best branch for me. I applied to 10 colleges, about half offering AFROTC. Around this time last year I had narrowed my choices down to the University of Washington, Washington State University, Gonzaga, Santa Clara, and Montana State. Of those only UW, WSU, and MSU offered AFROTC on campus. Unfortunately my favorite two schools were GU and SCU. At the time I didn't think there was any way to do ROTC at either of these schools. Complicating matters I had received an AFROTC scholarship that was dependent upon attending a school where AFROTC was a possibility. Thus my internal conflict was presented: do I go to one of the schools I loved and pay more and forget the chance of military service, or go to a school that wasn't as good a fit for me for the chance to save money and serve.

The So What
     I had to choose one of two paths that would take my life in very different directions. Granted both options were great and I really couldn't choose a bad option, yet my future was at stake. I had decided that if I attended WSU, UW, or MSU I would do ROTC and pursue a career in engineering and strive to become a pilot, a life long goal of mine. On the other spectrum if I attended Santa Clara or Gonzaga I could still do engineering or possibility even pre-med but I would be forfeiting the chance of becoming a pilot and serving in the military. This choice was front and center in my brain for a number of weeks and I wasn't making much progress while the May 1st deadline loomed in front of me. Fortunately my Dad did some research and actually called headquarters AFROTC at Maxwell AFB and discovered a little known program offered at SCU that would allow me to do AFROTC at nearby San Jose State University. Since SJSU was so close and AFROTC was offered there, I could attend classes at SCU while still doing ROTC at SJSU. When I heard the news I was thrilled. I was able to go to the school of my dreams without sacrificing my dreams for the future. That day was one of the best days of my life. I checked over everything to confirm it would work out and once I had confirmation, I confirmed my enrollment to Santa Clara and accepted my ROTC scholarship on the same day.

The Now What
     I couldn't be more happier with my decision. SCU is everything I want it to be and I am very happy here. I also am succeeding in AFROTC and am very happy there as well. Overall I am extremely satisfied with my life and where it's going. I was unsure if I would like AFROTC and took a risk by essentially signing away at least four years of my life. Looking back I would do the same thing again without hesitation. What I took away from this experience is that in spite of conflicts if you persevere, after a while a solution may appear that wasn't apparent from the start. Had I given up on ROTC sooner I never could have found out about the ability to do it at SCU and my life would be heading in a totally different direction.