Military Experts Brief Bolingbrook Teens on Potential Careers

Midshipman 3rd Class Tahler Bandarra, who is a student at the Naval Academy, speaks with Junior ROTC students during a Tuesday visit to Bolingbrook High School. Submitted by Valley View School District.

The United States military “is the greatest place in the world to learn leadership skills” according to Army SFC Charles Othon, who, along with Naval Academy Midshipman Tahler Bandarra and West Point graduate Lt. Megan Coley, visited with members of the Bolingbrook High School Air Force Junior ROTC program Tuesday.

“It’s an honor more than an obligation,” said Midshipman Bandarra, a Benet Academy graduate and Naperville resident who is in her second year at Annapolis.

Midshipman Bandarra and Lt. Coley both detailed summer camps at West Point and Annapolis that give prospective students an opportunity to see if the military is a future option. The Naval Academy, Midshipman Bandarra said, also offers a summer STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) experience for younger high school students.

“Your math and science foundation in high school is very important if you want to be in the military,” she said.

BHS students also learned about the application process, admissions, academics and class size.

“The best thing is the small class sizes,” Midshipman Bandarra said. “And it’s a full scholarship. You show up on day one and they give you everything you need plus they pay you a monthly stipend and you’re guaranteed a job as an officer when you graduate.”

While two thirds of all Annapolis midshipmen must, by federal law, major in engineering, math or science, “you can find whatever major fits you,” she added.

“Is it easy?” asked SFC Othon. “Nope. But you’re going to learn a lot of great lessons along the way and there’s no greater teacher than the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force or National Guard.

“We all work together,” he added. “We’re the greatest team in the world.”