An inspirational trip: FCHS student's National Security Boot Camp participation opens new avenues for growth

Savannah Arnold, a Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps student at Franklin County High School, recently had the honor of attending National Security Boot Camp in Washington, D.C.

Arnold, who plans to join the U.S. Marine Corps after graduation and pursue a career in intelligence, said she learned a lot about national security — and about her future career options.

“We learned a lot about national security, which is basically the whole reason I made the trip,” she said.

“We learned about understanding national interests, economic prosperity, promotion of our values … we also did a national security simulation, where each person in the group was assigned a role (by drawing) numbers out of a hat.

“Then, they gave us all of our objectives. I was a minority leader of the U.S. House Armed Forces Committee. I was basically part of the House and I helped vote for decisions that our president made.

“My objective was to be elected president, and also make sure that no major war broke out. It really put things into a real world perspective for a lot of us, I think.

“We learned a lot about the different agencies within our government like the CIA, the FBI and all of the military aspects as well. I learned a lot about what I want to do for my future career, and it kind of persuaded me to look towards two different colleges than I originally thought about, so I now have four colleges that I’m looking at.”

The two colleges Arnold added to her list are Georgetown University and George Mason University.

She also plans to apply for admission at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis after visiting the campus as part of the week’s events.

“I went into the doors of the Naval Academy with the idea that I was not going to apply to this,” she said.

“I had the idea to apply to all the service academies, and then I got there and I was like, ‘This is too far from home,’ but I walked in the doors and I was like, ‘Oh my goodness.’

“It’s huge, but everything just (felt) like I was at home. The people in there have so much of a military brain that everything they do is structured and organized. There’s no chaos. Everything goes smoothly.

“They only offer four years for what I’m looking at, and I didn’t know that. I thought they were like any other university.”

Arnold also learned she doesn’t have to have a particular degree to become a behavioral analyst with the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

“I can get anything I want,” she said.

“They said that criminal justice or psychology or social sciences would really kind of give me a leg up, but it’s not crucial that you have a specific degree. I personally thought there had to be a specific degree that you had to get in college for the job that I’m looking at, but you don’t, and that kind of surprised me.”

Some of the topics covered at the boot camp included history of the United States’ involvement in wars, cyber security, security infrastructure, the U. S. Constitution, media involvement, national strategies for the military and understanding national interests.

“I learned a lot, and I took so many notes, and I went home and studied,” she said.

“I’m not the type of person that’s going to take notes and go home and study the notes the day after. I usually wait because I have a really good memory, but this stuff is not something you could remember — it’s stuff you just have to learn constantly.”

Another thing that stood out to Arnold was the number of different people and viewpoints she came in contact with on the trip.

“There were so many different cultures and so many different types of people and ideas and points of view on our government that I didn’t even know existed,” she said.

“And going up there and experiencing that … honestly it was a blessing. It was so much fun. I had never been that far away from home, by myself especially, so the types of people I met and the types of beliefs, and their points of view and arguments on what our government should and shouldn’t do (stood out to me the most).

“Honestly, it surprised me that some people think the same way as me and then some people think things that I would have never imagined, and just to look at all of them from the outside and to experience them myself (was eye-opening).

“There were so many different things that we did up there that were skewed to look at a situation from their point of view, and using their method of belief. It was very interesting.”

As part of the camp, the students also toured the National Mall, Old Town in D.C. and Arlington National Cemetery, an experience Arnold labeled as “surreal.”

“We watched the changing of the guard and the laying of the wreath, and just to see how ceremonious that is and to know that they do that all day, every day — rain, sleet or storm — is crazy to me. I’m very, very thankful for the opportunity.”

Overall, the trip showed Arnold once again that she is on the right path where her future is concerned.

“I definitely learned a lot, and it was definitely a confirmation that I’m going in the right track for my future,” she said.

“It really convinced me that much more I’m doing what I want to do for the future.”

Arnold also expressed appreciation to her former history teacher, Lamar Briggs, for submitting the boot camp application on her behalf.

“Honestly, I have no clue how this idea got put into this teacher’s head,” she said.

“He is no longer at the school with us, but it was Coach Lamar Briggs. He was like, my favorite history teacher ever. He honestly put history into a whole new perspective for me and sparked my interest up again for the love of history.

“We always talked back and forth every single day, first period, about everything. I told him what I wanted to do after high school, where I wanted to serve, which branch I wanted to serve in, where I wanted to go to college and everything … and then he started giving me pointers and tips and I would go home and study the things he told me.

“All of this was not in our school curriculum, which was crazy to me that he knew all these things and that he was willing to share this with me.

“And then one day, I get a letter in the mail (saying) that my application has been sent and I have been accepted to go (to the boot camp), I just have to do these other few things and then I’m good to go.

“I went back to school, and I was freaking out, like, ‘Oh my goodness, thank you so much.’ And he was like, ‘Honestly, I think that is something you’re ready for, and the environment that’s up there you will thrive in.’

“So he definitely has been such a huge help and a huge patron for me and my future, and I owe it all to him honestly.”

She also shared a heart-felt thank you to all those who helped support her trip, including people like Dorothea Bush Frye along with family, friends and neighbors, who made it possible for her to attend.