Hello readers! My name is Jon Lash. You may have already guessed it, but I go the Coast Guard Academy!

I grew up in a military family; my Dad served a career in the Army, which constituted moving around every three years or so. I was born in Rennes, France and from there lived in Germany; Fort Irwin, California; Midlothian, Virginia; and Gainesville, Virginia. I graduated from Battlefield High School, where I enjoyed playing saxophone, being the drum major of the marching band, attempting to pole vault, and simply just being a high school kid.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned from attending the Academy, it is that you can always try something new and if you work hard, you will succeed at it. I run cross country and distance in track. I never ran distance in high school, but I decided to try it at the Academy. I find myself excelling on the team alongside my good friends and I can’t wait to see how we improve every season.

As for outside of sports and school, I love playing the guitar, ukulele, and alto saxophone. I also love listening to all different kinds of music. I love experiencing different musical artists’ talents.

I have an awesome family that is always supporting me from Gainesville. My mom, dad, brother, and sister are always finding ways to send packages or loving messages to get me through the long, but fun weeks at the Academy.