Service sits at the heart of Nobles’ mission and core values, specifically shaping students to “unlock the potential to do good,” and military service is a way that many Nobles graduates have lived out the mission. Five Class I students hope to continue this Nobles legacy and defend our nation in many different military branches. Specifically, a college degree and a commission are necessary to enter the military. The two main paths are attending a service academy, or going to a civilian college in the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) program, in addition to being a normal undergraduate student.
Morgan Gibson (Class I) hopes to enter the Judge Advocate General’s Corps (JAG Corps), which provides legal assistance to people in the Army and represents them during court-martials and other disciplinary proceedings. Gibson has been around the military for her whole life: her father served as a Colonel in the Army for 25 years, and she has lived on the Hanscom Air Force Base and at the West Point U.S. Military Academy. She credits this constant exposure for her desire to serve, as well as the opportunity to continue her family’s legacy and be part of a strong community. Gibson said, “I think that the military, and ROTC specifically, gives you a really nice structure throughout college and life, where you’re surrounded by really good people who want the best for you and the country, and are really driven by service. I’m driven by service, and I want to serve others and be able to use my talents to make an impact on the world.” In the next four years and beyond, Gibson plans to go through ROTC at Harvard University and attend law school to prepare for the JAG Corps.
“I think that the military, and ROTC specifically, gives you a really nice structure throughout college and life, where you’re surrounded by really good people
who want the best for you and the country,
and are really driven by service.”
Nate Madden (Class I) plans to commission as a second lieutenant into the Army following the ROTC program at Harvard University, and later attend law school and come back to serve in the JAG Corps. For Madden, service was an option that he had heard about in passing throughout high school. During the college process, his passion sprang from many conversations with people in the Nobles community who have served, like Computer Science Department Chair Max Montgomery (N ’14), an Army veteran. He also went down to the Naval Academy for the one-week Summer Seminar, which helped to confirm his decision. “I got hooked on the idea, and it was due to gratitude, but also just a gut feeling[…]There was something so fantastic and so incredible about service and the military, and then something just clicked, and I knew this is what I want to do for at least part of my life,” Madden said.
Managing Editor Eli Schotland (Class I) hopes to become a Surface Warfare Officer in the U.S. Navy. These officers serve aboard surface vessels like cruisers and destroyers and can play many roles in navigation, combat systems, and more. Schotland has been very interested in the Navy since his early childhood, beginning with his first trip to the USS Massachusetts, a WW2 battleship in Fall River, MA, at age 7. He said, “[Service] combines a lot of things that I want to do with my life. I’ve always wanted to help people, to lead, to be part of a team, to be part of something bigger than myself, and I’m also really passionate about the Navy[…] It’s a career that will let me serve my country, give back to this place that means so much to so many, and give me a lot of personal fulfillment.” He hopes to transfer to the U.S. Naval Academy or do ROTC in college, with the end goal of getting his Ensign commission in the Navy in four years.
“It’s a career that will let me serve my country, give back to this place that means so much to so many,
and give me a lot of personal fulfillment.”
Lelani Graylin (Class I) is considering going to the U.S. Naval Academy and becoming a Naval doctor through the Medical Corps program. Graylin mainly credits her interest to her family’s long history of military service, especially in the Navy. Her grandfather was a Navy lawyer, her dad and one of her older brothers are submarine officers, and another one of her brothers is at the Academy now. She said, “Growing up being surrounded by those figures, they’ve shaped who I am and shaped my morals and values to those of service, dignity, and integrity. I’ve seen the way that it shaped my brothers into incredible people today.” If she chooses to go to the Academy, her next four years and beyond will look similar to a pre-med track with college, medical school, and residency before going into service. Ethan Train (Class I) will attend the U.S. Naval Academy after Nobles. Train had to choose his college path early due to the lacrosse recruitment process. He recognized the Naval Academy as a chance he couldn’t pass up with its high-level education, potential to build relationships, and chance to make a difference. “What drove me to go to the Naval Academy and serve my country was this idea of living a life of service and contributing to something that’s bigger than yourself[…] Looking back on my experience [at Nobles] for six years, recognizing how many adults and students here have contributed to something greater than themselves and impacted others’ lives for the better was certainly a contributing factor,” Train said. In the next four years, Train will be figuring out what branch he wants to serve in (as of now, he is considering the Marines, Seals, or Intelligence) for a minimum of five years after college.
