Oorah

It’s been over two years since I left the ‘burg for another piece of land, equally steeped in trees and tradition … the Quantico highlands. I commissioned on August 13 of 2011 with the Marine Corps and have been stationed at Quantico ever since. I couldn’t be happier.

There was always a sense of camaraderie and brotherhood amongst William & Mary Tribe members. When it came to consider my life after William & Mary, which I desperately did NOT want to do, I knew that I’d have to do something I truly believed in. Something that would mean something. W&M has a funny way of brain-washing you into wanting to make a difference. I think that’s wonderful, and I hope The College goes on inspiring it’s young men and women into doing unique and meaningful things with their lives.

I had a stint with Teach for America after I graduated. It was immensely rewarding, but just wasn’t fulfilling enough. I didn’t want to teach my whole life, and despite my support of education reform in this country, I knew I’d need to do something different in order to feel as though I was where I needed to be.

I found that in the Marine Corps.

I feel just as comfortable walking across a landing zone as I did on the lawns of the Sunken Gardens. I’m carrying an M16 these days and an assault pack filled with MREs, as opposed to a Nalgene bottle and a back pack filled with philosophy texts. It’s not necessarily a common line of work for William & Mary grads, but it’s what worked for me. Funnily enough, so much of what I learned and experienced at William & Mary carried right into my career as a Marine Officer … honor, integrity, commitment. I can’t imagine having spent my college years anywhere else, and I can’t imagine doing anything else.

Oorah, Tribe … Oorah.