User:Atoddd16

 MY PAST PRESENT AND FUTURE               My name is Austin Todd and I am from a small town in Carrollton, Georgia. Leaving home to go to college was definitely a different feeling for me since I have lived in pretty much one spot my whole life. My town is a small town and everyone knows everyone, and leaving there to come to a place where I know no one was a bit of a shock for me. I got accustomed to it pretty quick though because I met some great people right off the bat here at JU. I started out my journey at Jacksonville University during NSO (New Student Orientation) for NROTC (Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps). It was a week of intense training where service members of the Marine Corps and Navy, and the upper classman part of the NROTC Unit broke us down and built us up over 4 days a week before classes started. One thing that stood out to me was the leadership I witnessed from everyone above us freshmen and it really motivated me to do well in the NROTC program and become the best leader I can, because I want to be like the upper classmen and all of the staff that work at the Unit. Before I arrived at JU, I was honestly expecting school to be easier than it is, and I also had different expectations of being in the NROTC program here at JU, and my expectations have all been succeeded. Before I came here I already wanted to join the Marine Corps an Enlisted. I was sworn into the Marine Corps the summer of 2015 and I was in the DEP (Delayed Entry Program) for around 9 months or so before I had the honor or receiving the NROTC Scholarship. While I was a Poolee, I was put in several different leadership positions that required me to lead other Poolees in Physical Training and Pool Functions when my whole Platoon went to big events to compete against other recruiting stations in competitions. Soon my recruiter took notice of my potential in being a great leader some day and he encouraged me to apply for the NROTC Scholarship which is very competitive and difficult to receive. I did not let the competitiveness of this scholarship intimidate me, so I did all my paperwork, did well in my interviews, wrote my essays, did well on the physical fitness aspect of the application and I was lucky enough to receive it and here I am. So far the transition into college has been hard mainly because it is the first time I am fully by myself and I am still adapting to that and getting used to remembering things for myself. Another hard part about the transition is all of the studying I am not used to. I am having to try to hone in study skills I have never had to use a whole lot in high school. My GPA has definitely gone down since I have been here but I am slowly but surely bringing it back up because I do not like to settle for the minimum. Overall college is kind of what I expected it to be. I have lost countless hours of sleep, I eat cheap, stay up late doing homework, I haven’t been able to go out as much as regular college students since I am in the NROTC program because we are under a stricter watch than other students. I am not really worried about anything thought because I was raised to be a hard worker and to never give up, and I think that has helped me since I started college. The amount of stress that came along with adapting to being on my own in college has definitely gotten overwhelming at times, but the close friends I have made since I have arrived here have made an enormous impact of my life and they have helped me stay motivated to get my work done and to overcome my stress. I think making close friends here or at any college is very important because it gives you a safe place to go and someone to talk to when you are feeling stressed or sad or down about something, and It also allows you to have an escape when things get too stressful and you need to have some fun every now and then. Going out and having fun with friends every once in a while has definitely helped me with the stress of college and I hope to keep these same friends all through college and life.

             For me this semester is a learning experience, as should every semester, but this one especially because I am currently finding new weaknesses and strengths and trying to improve the weaknesses and maintain the strengths. The hardest part is trying to improve my weaknesses. For example, I am really good at Physical Training for NROTC, but I struggle some academic wise, and that is my biggest set-back right now. I am currently talking to my professors and upperclassmen trying to get help and tips on studying so I can end the semester with decent grades. Right now I am preparing for the possibility of having a second career after the military, and that is why I am majoring in Information Systems because that is a major applicable in the military and civilian life. There are a lot of Information Systems fields to go in as well so I have plenty of options.

 I absolutely love my experience at the Unit so far. I love all of the Midshipmen, especially my girlfriend whom is also a Midshipman. There is a few of us who are a tight knit group in the Freshman class, and we are also getting close to some upperclassmen as well since we are about to be out of 2nd Platoon (which is the Freshman Platoon that limits us from certain things first semester). Even though waking up at 0450 four days a week sucks, I love getting up for PT because I love being in shape and getting better physically because I want to be the best I can be since I will be leading Marines one day, and I do not want them to see me as a leader who cannot do the things they do. That is why physical fitness is so important to me. Another thing important to me is the relationship I have. I came to this school actually not wanting to get into any kind of relationship, but I met the right person and it has been working out fantastically. I’m actually really glad I am dating another Midshipman because we understand what each of us are going through with all of the military stuff, and that helps because when we are stressed out about things it is easier to help each other since we each deal with the same things on a daily basis. Other people frown upon relationships within the Unit, but we are proving them wrong by going about things the right, appropriate way that make each of us stronger as people, and future active duty military personnel. We have both learned that trust, balance, and communication is key to a relationship, especially ones in the military and college for the most part. Also, I have learned how to maintain friendships with a few close friend from high school. They all go to different schools, but we all still keep in touch and make plans to hang out during holiday breaks. Communication and keeping in touch is key to keeping friendships after high school. I made it easier for myself though because I kept a very small group of friends in high school. People make that hard by trying to have so many fake, unnecessary friends in high school to maintain a popular social status for some reason. I am having an amazing college experience so far though and this semester is going great.

             I am still debating on what I want to do in the military when I commission as an Officer in the United States Marine Corps. I have been thinking about it a lot lately, and I don’t have to make a decision until my Junior year, but just thinking about being on the front lines with my men sends chills down my spine. Just being able to say I fought for my country and led US Marines while doing so is such an honor in itself, and seeing other Marines who have already done that motivates me a lot. It also motivates me because I look up to Marines a lot, and I want to be that Marine a little boy or college student looks up to one day. I want to be that Marine that my men would follow into battle any day. The thought of leading men into the hell-fire of battle terrifies me, but for some crazy reason it just pulls me closer to being in the Infantry. Another goal of mine is to be the best Officer, and future husband/father I can be one day for my family I hope to have. All of these goals are important to me because they will determine who I will become in the future and what type of man I will be. They will also determine what type of Officer I will be. The only way to achieve goals like mine in life if to never give up no matter how intense the pain, or the stress is. I will keep going no matter what, and I will keep my faith and moral values while doing so. Here is a quote from one of the Rocky movies that motivates me a lot:

“L et me tell you something you already know. The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows. It’s a very mean and nasty place and I don’t care how tough you are it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain’t about how hard ya hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done!”