11/11/2025
This is me at 19 years old.
Fresh out of my first year of college.
First time getting on a plane.
Stepping into the U.S. Air Force Reserves not quite knowing what was waiting for me on the other side.
Bright smile, sharp uniform, standing tall, even before I fully understood what it really meant to serve.
I looked confident in that picture, but whew! Those first few days? A different story. I was tired, overwhelmed, and scared. I remember thinking, “What have I gotten myself into?”
But somewhere in the middle of the early mornings, the drills, the marching, and the “figure it out and move” rhythm of it all… I found my footing.
Next thing you know, I was squad leader.
The military is where I first learned what leadership feels like—before the titles, before the career, before adulthood fully set in.
What I learned then has carried me every day since: Sometimes the things that scare you are the very things that reveal who you were always meant to be.
And here is my squad—young women from different cities, different backgrounds, and stories, all figuring out who we were becoming.
There was no room for division. No room for ego. No room for “us v. them.”
Just commitment, discipline, and a shared belief that we could accomplish more side-by-side than alone.
The uniform may be folded away, but the lessons are stitched into who I am.
To every Veteran, in every branch, past and present: Your service mattered them. It still matters now. I honor you.
On this Veteran’s Day, I honor every man and woman who served, in uniform, in community, in family, in sacrifice. Service takes many forms, and all deserve acknowledgement.
Happy Veteran’s Day!
What song or cadence still lives rent-free in your head? I’ll go first. Reveille! Blasting through the speakers every single morning. Listen, I jumped out of that bed like the building was under attack. Every. Time. No warning. No gentle wake-up. Just BAM—get up! Whew! The way my spirit would leave my body for a second.
I know I’m not the only one that still hears it.
❤️
