Brianna Salata is a senior at Guerin College Prep. She recently was sworn in as a member of the National Guard.
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Q: Where did you grow up and go to school?
A: I was born in Tampa. I moved to Pax Christi, New Mexico, and I lived there for six years. I’ve lived in Chicago for the past four years, and I’ve been attending Guerin College Prep.
Q: What kind of clubs and activities are you involved in at Guerin?
A: I’ve played volleyball all four years. I’m going onto my fourth year of softball.
Q: How did you become interested in the National Guard?
A: I’ve always been interested in the military in general. At first I was thinking the Navy or the Army, since my brother joined the Army. I wanted to stay close to home, and with the National Guard, I could do that.
Q: How did you become a member?
A: First, I set up an appointment to go to the base where the recruiter was located. He gave me all the information. I took the ASVAB, which is the military’s standardized test. I picked what job I wanted to do. I went through a medical process called MEPS.
Q: What was it like being sworn in?
A: It’s a small ceremony. I was in a glass room with a few other people that were done with the medical process as well. It was a nice experience. My recruiter was there to see it. It means that I’m taking part in something more, something bigger.
Q: When will you leave for basic training?
A: I will graduate in May. After that, I will leave June 4 to go to boot camp where I will learn to train physically. After 10 weeks of boot camp, I will go to AIT in another location and I will do 17 weeks of my job training. My job will be computer detection system repair. I qualified for that job on my test.
Q: How will you prepare for basic training?
A: Once a month, I will go to drill. I will do a lot of physical things to get ready for boot camp. It will put me in the right mindset.
Q: Are you nervous?
A: I want to get out of my shell and do something different. There are nerves that come with everything.
Q: How have your friends and family reacted?
A: They are sad that I’m leaving, but they’re happy I’m going after what I want.
Maryann Pisano is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
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