cadet blogs

Venturing Outside My Comfort Zone

(The Cadet Experience, Class of 2013) Permanent link All Posts

Occasionally I have heard alumni say it is easy to go through the Academy, while flying under the radar, not fully taking advantage of all the leadership opportunities this place has to offer. 4/c year that was exactly the mentality I had. After all, why would I want to stand out and risk getting in trouble.

Finally 3/c year rolled around, and I remember feeling conflicted. Suddenly I had to let go of the mentality I had held onto for 1½ years. It was time to face reality: in three years I will be an officer with my own division; I can’t keep avoiding the inevitable. Slowly I began to come out of my shell.

Now I am a 2/c, and I feel like I am light years away from the 4/c I was not that long ago. After three weeks as a Swab Summer cadre, I am now applying for a command position for next semester. This is definitely not where I would have seen myself two or three years ago.

In middle school and high school I didn’t venture outside my comfort zone much. In middle school, I tried out for the track and cross country teams (that was a big deal for me), and in high school I auditioned for a musical. Other than that I stuck to playing French horn and working backstage at my school’s theatre. I was all about doing what made me happy, and I wasn’t going to do something I didn’t enjoy.

While I still believe you should do what makes you happy, I do view my free time quite differently now. I am now more inclined to participate in activities I find challenging. If the activity is fun, that’s great. If the activity is fun and it tests my limits, even better.

More about Stephanie.

Posted by Leann Strickland at 2/14/2012 11:19 AM