An Unexpected Path

The military, specifically the Air Force, gave me opportunity and confidence, and the financial resources to make the most of both. As a high school senior many years ago, my favorite show was Miami Vice (that should date me), and I thought it would be cool to design car stereos for a living (timeless, really). But without a scholarship, I was not going anywhere. 

I applied for and received an Air Force ROTC scholarship that allowed me to pay for almost any university. I chose the University of Miami (see favorite show above), and electrical engineering as my major (think car stereos). ROTC scholarships are terrific, and I cannot recommend them enough. They let kids who otherwise would not be at major universities, or perhaps any university, attend great schools for free or close to free. You can see a world that would otherwise be inaccessible. Sure you owe four or more years of your life to your service branch after graduation, but you get to do things and be responsible for so much more than the average college graduate.