According to the U.S. Department of Defense  “In 2021, women made up 17.3% of the active-duty force, totaling 231,741 members; and 21.4% of the National Guard and reserves at 171,000 members.” The percentage of women serving in the military continues to grow.

This last December, that number grew by one more. Senior Cheyenne Wilson officially swore into the National Guard on December 15th, 2023, where she is now enlisted as a Missouri National Guard Soldier. 

There are many different reasons why high school students may consider enlisting in the military as one of their post-secondary options; for students like senior Cheyenne Wilson the Military Tuition Assistance (TA) was a big deciding factor. 

“My inspiration for joining the military was knowing that I was going to get free college or that my college would be fully paid for,” Wilson said.  “Nobody influenced it. Honestly, I didn’t know much about it until I found out that I could get my college paid for.”

Wilson has big plans to kick off her military career by doing her Basic training at Fort Jackson in South Carolina and Advanced Individual Training (AIT) at Fort Gregg-Adams in Virginia, 

Wilson leaves for basic training on July 9th, and that will last for nine weeks and six days. Following graduation, she will spend another 6  weeks and 2 days in AIT before coming home in November. 

 Now that she is counting down the days, Wilson makes plans for what life after graduation will be like leading up to her departure. 

“My current plan is to continue working at my current job but switch to mornings so that I can have the evenings with friends and family,” Wilson said. “I will also have my graduation party and a going away party before I leave. I also plan to take a few trips during the summer to go camping and spend my time outdoors.”

Starting such a big chapter in Wilson’s life resulted in differing opinions from her family, but ultimately led to great support.

“My dad was very supportive but my mom did not like the idea of it at all,” Wilson said. “Now that I am fully through the process she is more open about the idea of me being in the military. But otherwise, everyone is super supportive and they love hearing about what I’m doing.”

As Wilson prepares for this new chapter in her life, she suggests that underclassmen who are considering enlisting should not be afraid to seek help if they ever need guidance throughout the process. 

“Don’t be afraid to ask questions,” Wilson said. “Ask every question that you can when you do start to enlist, be 100% honest with everything. It seems like a very scary thing, but honestly, it’s the best thing that I’ve done so far.”

Wilson also learned some lessons and misconceptions regarding joining the military throughout her process of enlisting.

“The main idea of the army is not that you have to be physically fit, though it is a good thing,” Wilson said. “You have to be mentally tough; you have to be ready for people yelling in your face or for the long hours of training. As the Soldier’s Creed says ‘I am disciplined, physically, and mentally tough, trained and proficient in my warrior tasks and drills.’ Nobody said that it would be easy, but nobody said that this would be the hardest thing.”

Throughout the enlistment process, she has gone through many obstacles and found that her determination will assist her in having the strength to fight for her country. 

“When I put my mind to something I don’t let anything stop me,” Wilson said. “One thing that I was told at drill this past weekend was that when you wear your uniform, yes you’re trying to make sure you set the best example with your name tied to it,  but you’re also representing the U.S Army. Showing that you are more than ready and willing to fight for your country and to sacrifice everything you have at home.”