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JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska - “I came here to turn my
life around,” said Bernice Morgan. “I was just hanging around with a
bad crowd. If I was still with that crowd, I'd probably end up in
jail or become homeless – someone who doesn't really have a future.
In honor of my family, I chose to come here.”
“I dropped out
of high school,” said Rafael Vicens. “I've wanted to be in the
military since I was 12 years old. I was in the [Junior ROTC]. I was
searching the Internet for military opportunities and came across
the Alaska Military Youth Academy. It seemed like a good idea. They
said I could join when I turned 16.”
Morgan and Vicens,
cadets at the National Guard Alaska Military Youth Academy Challenge
program, are examples of the many different lives Alaska's youth can
lead. They enrolled in the AMYA at very different points in their
lives, but both had something in common: They wanted to improve
themselves.
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Rafael Vicens, far right, raises his hand with other cadets during a National Guard Alaska Military Youth Academy tour of the air control tower at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska on February 14, 2015. Vicens volunteered for the academy after dropping out of high school. (U.S. Air Force photo
by Staff Sgt. Robert Barnett)
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Their cycle started Oct. 1, 2014.
“I prepared
myself mentally because I knew this is a tough place,”
Morgan said. “It's the first time I've been away from my
family. The first two weeks were really hard – I cried
myself to sleep every night.”
“I'm the first in my
family to join,” Vicens said. “The military movie that most
appealed to me was 'Full Metal Jacket.' Some people get
appalled, but I watched it and said 'that's for me.' I'm
interested in [eventually joining] the Marine Corps. My main
interest is for college; I want some kind of degree that
will help me in law enforcement.”
The mission of the
AMYA is to help intervene in and reclaim the lives of
Alaska's at-risk youth and produce graduates with the
values, skills, education and self-discipline necessary to
succeed as adults. The community-based program leads, trains
and mentors 16- to 18-year-old Alaskans who have left high
school without receiving a credential. The program is a
military structured, 17-and-a-half month residential and
nonresidential high school.
“I had to get used to
getting up [at 6:10 a.m.], doing physical training, time
crunches like shower time and schedules,” Morgan said.
“After acclimation graduation, things start getting easier.
There are times I really want to quit and go home, but I
just keep pushing myself. The training leaders say 'You made
it this far; why quit?' You finish was you started. I push
myself to the limits to finish something that's really hard.
My goal is to improve my life and show my friends I can make
it through this program.”
“I've really been trying
hard here; this is about the hardest I've ever worked in my
life,” Vicens said. “I've been motivated since day one.”
Cadets are instructed in the following areas: life
coping skills, academic excellence, job skills, responsible
citizenship, leadership and followership, health and
hygiene, physical fitness and service to the community.
Around 20 weeks into the program, the cadets already
noticed change in themselves.
“Going through this
program has been helping me a lot with self-discipline and
integrity, confidence in myself, knowing that I can be who I
want to be,” Morgan said. “I can make myself what I want to
be now instead of waiting until later in life ... I thought
no one would listen to me and my opinions, but when I became
a squad leader or platoon sergeant, they did. In our student
government, we're making decisions that will effect the next
cycle. I wasn't really a self confident person before I came
here.”
“Last Friday, we had the board for court
sergeant major,” Vicens said. “I won it; I'm the top cadet
of the cycle. [I was] on top of my game in all subjects –
academically, physically and behaviorally. I kept a good
GPA, always turning in homework on time. I have the ability
to help out other cadets who are having trouble academically
and physically.”
The cadets also have to work toward
completion of their General Education Diploma, high school
diploma or credit recovery.
“I enjoy writing a lot
[and] I'm a people person,” Morgan said. “I'm going to miss
this; I'll miss my fellow cadets and groups here. We're
still going to keep in contact. I'm going to take the
respect and self-discipline with me. I'll keep my mind open
to different opinions and ways of solving problems.
"It's not about what I want; it's about what the group
needs.”
“I never really considered myself a leader,
but I'm told I've been doing a pretty good job at it,”
Vicens said. “A couple weeks ago, I started doing academics
in the team leader room. I help out cadets who are on the
verge of getting kicked out because they are failing
classes. There's this cadet in our social studies class;
he's really smart, but he never turns in his assignments. I
was just helping him out, keeping him on topic. It's really
good having everybody look up to me, making my team leaders
proud of me. [That] boosts my confidence. This place is
great. I've learned a lot of management and leadership
skills. I've met my expectations.”
Their academy
schedule included tours of various military units on Joint
Base Elmendorf-Richardson to learn about different jobs and
experiences. They got to see an F-22 Raptor up close and
ride in a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter. The cadets also took
turns carrying various leadership positions; a few weeks at
a time.
“I was picked to be the honorary guidon,”
Vickens said. “Then I became squad leader, platoon first
sergeant, and [finally] all the way to corps first sergeant.
I went on a board against other platoons. We tested and I
happened to get it. They will pick another corps first
sergeant after me; after that I get to keep the rank and
I'll be a corps master sergeant, the highest rank in the
academy.”
As the big day came closer, the cadets said
they looked forward to graduation.
“I still have to
finish high school after this, and then I'm going to go to
college and finish my education,” Morgan said. “I'm looking
forward to my family being at my graduation. They've given
me the most support. I want them to see how much I've
changed from the person I was before. I want them to see how
much I've matured, my self-discipline and focus. I'm pretty
excited about that, but I really do love my family with all
my heart, and I thank them for supporting my decisions and
everything they've done for me.”
“I'm here to improve
and be better than I was a year ago,” Vicens said. “I was
pretty different; it's been a big change. Now, I wake up
every morning extremely motived; ready to go. I'll go back
to get my high school diploma; I honestly regret dropping
out – I should have stayed in school. I should have gotten
all the credits possible and then come here. I'd get even
more credits and be ahead in school, graduate early and move
on to better things. That's why I came here. I plan to
attend another military school in New Mexico, the New Mexico
Military Institute. I'm going get my education first and go
the officer route. I want a career in law enforcement.”
Morgan and Vicens graduated with their class Feb. 27,
2015.
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Bernice Morgan graduated from the residential portion of the National Guard Alaska Military Youth Academy
on February 27, 2015. (U.S. Air Force photo
by Staff Sgt. Robert Barnett)
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“I want my mom and dad to be proud,” Vicens said. “I want them to
see me as someone doing something that matters out there. There are
careers that just care about money and themselves, but in the
military, you're helping other people. You're actually changing
something in society.”
By U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Robert Barnett
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2015
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