In the midst of first semester, senior Orion Milazzo sometimes felt out of place.

Rather than spending every spare moment writing lengthy essays for college applications, Milazzo was training and preparing himself for when he enters the Navy after graduation.

Two years ago, Milazzo made the decision to enlist because of the extensive educational perks that come along with a career in the field. After two years of service, Milazzo will be able to attend college free of cost. This means he will not be saddled with the burden of college tuition or student debt.

“Until college, I basically get hands-on training on a naval ship and get to travel around the world,” Milazzo said. “So I’ll get all of the educational benefits of college with the added bonus of being able to see the world and learn about different cultures.”

Milazzo has had his heart set on joining the Navy after his sister and cousin joined the Army in the past five years. To start his training in his freshman year, Milazzo enrolled in the Naval Sea Cadet Corps, an international program funded by the U.S. government that allows high school and middle school students to experience military life. Milazzo will graduate from the program once he turns 18 later in the year.

Through the program, Milazzo learned many military operations through the program’s simulations. For example, over winter break, he spent 10 days playing war games while travelling on a tall ship, a type of naval vessel, from Chula Vista to Catalina Island and Coronado.

Milazzo’s ship had no contact with the outside world other than a radio connection with the Coast Guard. His crew dealt with different scenarios, such as searches for enemy submarines.

Along with exercises on ships, Milazzo participated in a three-week training camp in Arkansas for Masters at Arms, a type of military police. His training included traffic stops, canine search and rescue, swat tactics, urban assault tactics and hand-to-hand combat.

Every other Saturday, Milazzo also goes to the Moffett Field for unit training as he travels to various rooms and houses with mock airsoft weapons to learn military and overseas customs.

Though he has only been training for three years, Milazzo’s experiences with the U.S. Armed Forces has been an educational and transformational process. The hard-working community of individuals involved with the U.S. Armed Forces has motivated him to improve on his skills for his future years of service.  

“I'm excited to be able to travel and see the world. I get to do something that’s new and very beneficial to me,” Milazzo said. “You also meet a lot of interesting and cool people who share the same end goal as you. They don’t complain a lot and know how to take criticism, which is a very good tool to have, because if you can’t take criticism, you can’t improve yourself.”