What is LINK?
The Leading Internships for New Knowledge (LINK) program is an integral piece of the Animas High School curriculum in Durango, Colorado, as it exemplifies our belief in the value of student-centered, personalized instruction that connects learning to the adult world. LINK takes students beyond the classroom walls in order to clarify personal, college and career goals while teaching invaluable professional skills and life lessons. With support from the LINK Internship Coordinator, students find internships either locally or further afield that allow them to dive deeply into their individual passions, interests and potential career paths. They are paired with LINK Mentors who generously share their time, energy and expertise. While on their internships, AHS juniors make meaningful contributions to their host businesses and organizations while also completing individual LINK Projects.
My Project
Well in a way my project is, me.
I went to the "Military Entrence and Processing Command station, or MEPS, in Albuquerque New Mexico. The process took two full days and was made up of a lot of tests and procedures. The main process was the ASVAB test I took prior to going to MEPS, ASVAB being the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery. Through hard work and dedication I got a score of about 90. With that score I got a job reseved for myself, 35 November, Signals Intelligence Analyst. This comes with a Top Secret security clearence, worth $10,000 and it is given to me for free by the Army. My time in service will also come with free college (to an extent) and I am for the moment looking at certifications and other programs I can choose to make finding a job in the civilian sector or otherwise a lot easier.
All in all, I start out as an E-2 and I will enlist on June 14th, 2021.
I went to the "Military Entrence and Processing Command station, or MEPS, in Albuquerque New Mexico. The process took two full days and was made up of a lot of tests and procedures. The main process was the ASVAB test I took prior to going to MEPS, ASVAB being the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery. Through hard work and dedication I got a score of about 90. With that score I got a job reseved for myself, 35 November, Signals Intelligence Analyst. This comes with a Top Secret security clearence, worth $10,000 and it is given to me for free by the Army. My time in service will also come with free college (to an extent) and I am for the moment looking at certifications and other programs I can choose to make finding a job in the civilian sector or otherwise a lot easier.
All in all, I start out as an E-2 and I will enlist on June 14th, 2021.
Reflection
I feel like this is probably the best choice for me and maybe a lot of other young americans right now. What the whole COVID-19 crisis has shown me is the way we as a generation view the military and other things that aren't just going to college. I saw that even though there is a litteral pandemic going on, the prices and unfathomable need to go to college is still alive and well. That being said, its understandable to me that many people wouldn't agree with my decision to join, I have gotten a bit of hate from it as well. But being an tradesperson, isn't hard. Its so easy, and can easily pay for everything we could need. So many of my generation feels like the only way they'll be able to be happy is to go into $100,000 debt, to get a piece of paper that won't be realivent in 5 years time. Its a shame to see kids that all they really want out of life is to mountainbike and snowboard and save money by not doing much. But this industrial consumerism is forcing them to make more money they could ever need or want. So for now I choose to stray from the crowd of my "college readiness" peers and hopefully, lead by example.