For Mia Garcia, thoughts of college always brought up one huge reservation – the cost. Although she wanted to continue her education after high school, the thought of going into debt to obtain a college degree caused her to doubt whether she should go to college. Just before Christmas, that worry was erased as Mia learned that she has been awarded an ROTC Scholarship that will cover the full cost of her college education, an estimated $200,000.
Mia plans to attend the University of New Mexico and pursue a degree in Mathematical Biology. Upon completion of her bachelor’s degree, Mia will be commissioned as ensign in the United States Navy. In accepting this scholarship, Garcia is committing to serve five years in the Navy with an additional three years in the Navy Reserves. Garcia plans to volunteer to serve aboard a submarine during her time in the Navy.
The Navy was not Mia’s choice a few years ago. She originally considered the Army to be her way to afford college costs. Once she became a part of the Naval Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps, Mia changed her mind. “Through NJROTC, I fell in love with the Navy. I’m all Navy now,” she proudly declared. When asked about her desire to volunteer to be a submariner, Mia simply said, “I’ve always been fascinated by submarines.”
Mia’s parents, Gilbert and Blanca Pena, expressed a mixture of emotions about Mia’s future in the Navy. “I’m anxious, but also excited,” her mom said. “I’m very proud of her. She’s worked hard since she was in elementary and has always received straight A’s. She has been in the gifted and talented program. She’s doing all the things I wanted to do when I was young. Mia will be the first in the family to attend a four-year college, the first to go into the military and the first to receive a full-ride scholarship.”
Chief Brantley, Senior Naval Science Officer with the PHS NJROTC program, explains that receiving an ROTC Scholarship is difficult. A candidate for the scholarship is evaluated on their academic ability (ACT scores), physical fitness, recommendations from teachers and counselors, a recommendation from the NJROTC. Candidates are then interviewed by Navy Officers who make the final decision. In his fifteen years of working with high school students, Chief Brantley has only had six students receive an ROTC scholarship. When asked about Mia, Chief Brantley said, “She will be a good officer. That’s what I see in her.”
Once, when Mia was talking to her mom about joining the Navy, her mom asked, “Are you sure?” Mia responded, “I want to go out and help people.” This summer, Mia will travel to Illinois for a two-and-a-half-week Naval Indoctrination course. This fall, she will begin her college career in Albuquerque. Following that, she will be enlisted in the Navy – all with the goal of helping other people.