Annapolis graduate achieves more than what her parents prayed for
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- Published on Monday, June 24, 2013 00:00
- Written by By Emmanuel T. Erediano - emmanuel.erediano@mvariety.com - Variety News Staff
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ALL Roger and Celia Vales wished for their daughter, Jamie, was to complete her college degree.
But after four years at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, Ensign Jamie Vales not only recieved her systems-engineering degree, she did so with honors, and with a minor in Japanese.
“Thanks be to God for all these blessings,” Celia told Variety in an email.
Ensign Vale’s father, Roger, said their entire family wishes her the best in her first assignment as a naval officer in Sasebo, Japan.
“We always prayed to God to help our daughter finish college. But the Lord gave us a bonus as well,” Roger said.
At the age of 22, Ensign Vales is currently a nuclear surface warfare officer and has a five-year obligation to serve in the U.S. Navy.
A graduate of Marianas Baptist Academy, Ensign Vales, said: “Graduating from the Naval Academy was a bittersweet experience. I have made great friendships throughout the four years and it was, and still is, hard to part ways. At the same time, it was an awesome feeling to have reached the finish line of my ‘not’ college life.”
“Not college,” she explained, is a joke among midshipmen because life in the Naval Academy throughout the four years is far from what a normal college life is.
Ensign Vales recalls the “toughest and most memorable” part of her four-year stay in Annapolis:
“The plebes [freshmen] have to go through sea trials as a first step to be recognized by the upper class (sophomore, junior, and seniors). Sea trials are basically doing physical tasks for more than 12 hours straight. In my plebe year, we started sea trials around 5 a.m. and ended around 6 p.m. It pushed my mental and physical limits but it was very rewarding. It was a great experience overall because you could see the brotherhood forming. It is something I would do again.”
Now on Saipan, Ensign Vales is getting ready for her trip to San Diego, California for a basic division officer’s course. In August, she will report to Sasebo, Japan.
“My first tour of two years will be in Sasebo, Japan. After that I will be reporting for Nuke School in Charleston, South Carolina for a year and will be picking the location for my second tour after that. I am not sure if I will be staying in the Navy. I am just going with the flow at the moment,” she said.
She thanked her family for all the support and help they gave her during and before her college years in Annapolis.
“I would like to thank my family for my success, especially my sister! They have done so much to help me get in and survive the Naval Academy. I would not have been able to do it without them,” she said.
“I think the best thing about being in the Navy is seeing the appreciation people have for your service. Even though I have not contributed much yet, I have had people come up to me thanking me for my service. There is nothing more rewarding and that is what makes me proud to serve,” she added.
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