Considering both a small liberal arts school in the pursuit of a singing career and thinking about becoming an athletic trainer, Kendall Washington was not sure what he wanted to do after KHS. After lots of thinking, he finally decided.
“Doing the whole school thing again wasn’t for me,” Kendall said, knowing he did not want to spend his time sitting in class.
Because of this, he decided against traditional college. When Kendall realized singing and sports were just hobbies rather than careers, he turned to the military. He finally settled on enlisting in the Air Force during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday season.
Kendall most looks forward to the eight-week process of basic training because of the variety and break from his current routine it will provide.
“You’ll be waking up at 4:30, 5:00 if you’re lucky, doing things you’ve never done before,” he said. “[For a week] you just get to hit people with with a billystick,” Kendall said. “It’s a whole new experience.”
Kendall believes this experience will be positive for him and encourages others to consider enlisting in the military. However, he says it is not for everybody.
“Don’t do it if you’re not wholeheartedly in it,” Kendall said. “I feel like that’s a life thing. Don’t go to college, waste all that money, then just drop out.”
Abby Peterson, college counselor agrees. “I feel like the military is really a calling,” she said.
If a student expressed interest in the military she would connect them with liaisons that would answer any questions the student would have.
Following this calling, Kendall believes the experience will help him focus and gain time management skills.
Not sure where he will end up next year, Kendall is in the DEP (delayed entry program). He is waiting to be assigned to a base for training.
“I feel like I’ll be more specific in what I’m doing,” Kendall said. “It will be a maturity booster.”
