Chesapeake Grad Follows Dad’s Footsteps, Joins ROTC

It isn’t uncommon for kids to follow career paths similar to their parents. That’s what grad Carly Bair is doing—only she will follow her father’s footsteps into the U.S. Navy.

Bair has an ROTC scholarship to Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh.

“My Dad was in the Navy for 24 years so I have been exposed to a naval lifestyle,” Bair said. “I used to want to go to the academy, but now I just want to be in the Navy at some point. I figured it would be a good way to go to a good school and do what I wanted to do.”

Bair, who , was in the top 5 percent of her graduating class. She was a member of the National Honor Society, an Advanced Placement Diploma Recipient, was a member of the International Thespian Society and a member of the World and Classical Language Honor Society.

While at Chesapeake, Bair took 11 Advanced Placement classes and one post AP calculus III class. And while Bair plans to pursue a career in mechanical engineering, she says she also is looking forward to serving her country.

“I will definitely take a great honor in serving my county,” she said. “When you finish the program you come out as an officer, so you kind of get a head start there. It is going to be a great way to do something that is kind of bigger than myself.”

Since she is participating in Carnegie Mellon’s ROTC program, Bair will have a different lifestyle than an average college student. Twice a week she will have physical training at 6 a.m. She will also take an extra naval science class that will not count towards her total credits.

Bair also said that after her freshman year, she will spend part of the summer participating in a four-week ROTC program.

“The first summer after freshman year you do a four-week program where you spend one week in each area: Marines, Subs, Aviation and Surface Warfare,” she said. “My dad was in Service Warfare so I am kind of looking in that direction.”

Bair plans on majoring in mechanical engineering and hopes to learn about the inner-workings of ships, which she will use during her time in the Navy. But above all else, she is most looking forward to the college experience.

“In the end, I am excited to just meet a whole bunch of new people and see a world beyond Chesapeake,” Bair said.