Jacob Wong during Oath of Enlistment.

With the graduation of the Class of 2024 in less than 5 months, most seniors have to figure out where they will be this time next year. Whether it’s a four-year college, trade school, or even a gap year to relax or work, the decision is being made now. It’s a struggle for everyone, but for most seniors, it’s surprisingly easy to tell what they’ll choose. With most seniors here on the conventional college track, it’s not difficult to assume the type of school they’ll attend or even their major. However, assumptions can be wrong and misguided. Senior Jacob Wong’s decision proves it. 

At the end of his junior year, Jacob Wong enlisted in the National Guard, causing shock not only to his grade, but to his close friends. 

“[My friends] were doubtful, I had actually enlisted in the military”, Jacob explains.

It was difficult for Jacob to understand his friends’ reaction at first. 35,000 recent high school graduates enlist in some branch of the military every year. Overtime, he started to understand why.

“If its about physical fitness, physical fitness will improve at basic training [similar to] my case. Maybe people didn’t know this about me, but I had already been going to the gym when I enlisted.”

Stooping below the average male height, Jacob has a more scrawny physique. However, the National Guard has a variety of responsibilities that anyone can learn and be a part of if they are as committed and focused as Jacob is. 

“It’s not like the movies. You don’t go rushing out into gunfire…You learn hand to hand combat, land navigation, medical care…”.

The most shocked however was Jacob’s mother. 

“My mother said it was all a bit fast, that it seemed rushed and that I didn’t take time to think it through. I guess in hindsight I didn’t really tell [my parents]…well not until I needed them to signed the paper”.

Despite this, Jacob was able to convince his mother fairly easily. Planning to also attend a four-year college at the same time. Jacob found that the National Guard could help him and his family afford it more.

“The national guard can be a good option for anyone looking to help pay for college, but it’s not the only way obviously.” Braintree High guidance counselor, Ms. Gonsalves says, “You just have to think about what is best for the student”. 

Jacob Wong only has to be at National Guard armories one weekend a month, allowing him to both thrive in college and serve the country.

“It’s a good experience. It disciplines one. It’s a good life experience to learn from even if [you] aren’t an expected candidate”.