 I went into the Navy when I was 17 via the Naval Academy and then I served on active duty for five years as a Naval Intelligence Officer and in the individual ready reserves for three more years. Being a part of a winning team is what I'm most proud of. During my two years with my operational unit we won the battle E which is awarded to the unit with the highest state of battle readiness. My squadron was made up some of the most professional focused and dedicated personnel that worked together as a team and we adopted a work-hard-play-hard mentality but always in that order. Some of the best mentors that I had on a day-to-day basis were the senior enlisted Navy Chiefs and Marine Corps gunnery sergeants that I came across early in my career. The Navy was absolutely instrumental in instilling a sense of confidence in me. They play so much responsibility on individuals at such a young age and without a say with with that safety net of knowing that you're surrounded by people that will help you say that you won't fail and that confidence has basically instilled a sense of confidence in me to continue to achieve in the civilian sector. My military service gave me an understanding of how the Department of Defense is structured and gave me the technical skills to build a business where I can continue supporting our national security interest in the civilian sector. The business that I started is so deeply connected to supporting the Department of Defense it still makes me feel like I'm a part of the team without being in the military on a day-to-day basis. I mentor young women who are considering the military as a future career, women who are thinking of attending one of the service academies or want to join via the officer candidate school. What I would tell potential sailors is that there's nothing more rewarding than serving your country alongside the brightest people this country has to offer. We have the number one military in the world and it was a privilege to have the opportunity to be a part of that team.