‘I Became A Spin Instructor While Deployed Overseas With The Air Force’

I was always somewhat fit - in high school, I dabbled in volleyball and dance team - but it wasn't until I joined the Air Force that fitness truly became a passion.

I enlisted in the military six years ago, when I was 20 years old. At the time, I was actually attending college in Austin, Texas, but something about it didn't quite feel right. I wasn't feeling confident about my future, and I couldn't picture what my life after college might look like.

So I thought about two people I admired: my older brother, who was in the Navy, and my older sister, who was in the Air Force. And, after talking it over with my dad, I decided to join the Air Force as well. I was confident this would be a win-win situation: I could pursue a career in the military, and continue to work toward my degree through their education program at the same time.

That's not to say I wasn't a little scared going into it - any new experience is intimidating. But mostly I was anxious to get started, and excited for the new challenges I was about to face.