Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Meranda Keller | (December 19, 2019) Aviation Ordnanceman 2nd Class Gabriel Alvarado is highlighted in...... read more read more
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VISALIA, Calif. (December 18, 2019) — Gabriel Alvarado comes from a little place in California known as Caruthers. It’s the type of place where everyone knows everyone; the high school has only 500 students; and farming is most likely what you will do after graduating high school.
Alvarado started his senior year as an athlete in both football and wrestling. He knew he didn't want to go into farming. What did pique his interest, however, was the idea of playing sports in college and traveling. Those interests he had at the beginning of his senior year changed as the year went on and his outlook matured.
"I wanted to push myself to the next level and excel in my life," said Alvarado.
He and two close friends decided to join the Navy. All three of them left together a week after they graduated.
Aviation Ordnanceman 2nd Class Gabriel Alvarado has been in the Navy for six years now. He is currently assigned to Navy Recruiting Station (NRS) Visalia under Navy Recruiting District (NRD) San Francisco.
Alvarado was an aircraft maintainer in VFA-192. While aboard the amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA 6), he was a part of the reaction force, which allowed him to be around weapons and the combat aspect of things.
"I love weapons and felt like I would fit in the community,” he said.
When it was time for Alvarado to pick orders, his mentor told him he needed to become a recruiter. Alvarado was hesitant and didn't want to be a recruiter, but he knew his mentor had always looked out for him and knew that he would excel.
Alvarado has been a recruiter for a little over a year at NRD San Francisco. Recruiting is arguably one of the hardest duties; it takes the shyest people out of their comfort zone and places them in front of a classroom full of students and forces you to become a public speaker.
Luckily for Alvarado, he doesn’t have an issue speaking in front of people. Regardless of if he were speaking to a sole stranger on the street or in front of thousands of people in a stadium, he would be just as calm, cool, and collected as he always is. He is the type of person you want to be around. His confidence in all aspects of his life and his infectious personality inspire you to want to do more and be more. All of these traits of his make him the perfect recruiter.
"I'm confident that I can change people's lives,” said Alvarado. “Sometimes people need a jump-start to be able to visualize where they could be and how I can help them get there. My strengths are motivation and my drive for success. I refuse to let me or my team fail.”
Since working here, his accomplishments include two Navy Achievement Medal, Recruiter of the Month, Recruiter of the Quarter, and numerous other recruiting awards based on his job performance.
"The Navy has given me everything, and all of my achievements have come directly from the Navy," he said.
Once his recruiting tour is over, Alvarado plans on returning to the fleet as an aviation ordnanceman. His long-term goal is to earn the position of a leading petty officer and eventually retire from the Navy.
Navy Recruiting District San Francisco has ten divisions, which include 33 enlisted Navy Recruiting Stations, four Navy Reserve Recruiting Stations, two Navy Recruiting Processing Stations, and three Navy Officer Recruiting Stations.
Navy Recruiting Command consists of a command headquarters, three Navy Recruiting Regions, 18 Navy Recruiting Districts, and eight Navy Talent Acquisition Groups that serve more than 1,330 recruiting stations across the world. Their combined goal is to attract the highest quality candidates to assure the ongoing success of America's Navy.
| Date Taken: | 12.20.2019 |
| Date Posted: | 12.20.2019 11:04 |
| Story ID: | 356710 |
| Location: | VISALIA, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Hometown: | CARUTHERS, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 202 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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