As senior year winds down and graduation looms, many students are preparing for college life, but not all are taking the traditional route. For some, the next chapter doesn’t involve dorm rooms and campus parties, but boot camp and military training. So, what drives these students to take such a different path? Is it a sense of patriotism, the promise of career opportunities, or the ever-rising cost of higher education? 

For these students the military is their best bet at reaching their goals and they have many reasons for enlisting.

Senior Julian Smith is enlisting into the US Coast Guard and is currently in contact with a recruiter. Smith shares his reason for enlisting saying, “The options after the military, and the VA house.” Smith plans to use his experience with the military to pursue another career saying, “I see myself becoming an electrician.”

Senior Haven Roberts is enlisting in the Army and is also in contact with a recruiter. Roberts shares her reasons for enlisting saying, “I believe that it’s a good opportunity and has a lot of benefits.”

Senior Joshua Post is enlisting in the Army and has started the enlisting process.

Post shares his reasons for enlisting saying,” Everything is super expensive and I’m concerned that once high school is over I won’t be able to go at it alone without hate, so I feel like the military will be a soft landing into real life.”

Post also shares what his plans are for after the military saying, “I’m going to do college while I’m in and have them pay for it when I’m out.”

Senior Kayla Patterson is enlisting in the Marines. She had already started the process of enlisting . Patterson is interested in the military because of the pathways it could open for her and the skills she will have to develop.

Patterson explains “ it opens new pathways for things on the CIS because I’m going to MP which is military police.” Her goal is to get into the NCIS and become a police officer.