Photo By Petty Officer 2nd Class Triniti Lersch | 210409-N-GK686-1011 NAVAL AIR STATION SIGONELLA, Italy (April 9, 2021) -- Aviation...... read more read more
At first, Michael Keran of Englewood, Colorado, had no interest in attending school or joining the military.
Then, in 2012, he changed his mind and joined the U.S. Navy as an Aviation Structural Mechanic (AM), and after six years in the service, he realized he wanted to continue his career in the Navy as an officer.
For eight consecutive years, Keran worked tirelessly in the service, earning several military awards such as Navy Achievement Medals, Flag Letters of Commendation, Sailor of the Quarter, Meritorious Unit Commendation Award, and more. Nevertheless, his superior sustained performance in the military was not enough to reach his goal; Keran needed a degree to make it happen.
With his ultimate goal in mind, he decided to apply for admission to Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) in Nov. 2018 and started his first set of classes in Jan. 2019.
As an AM1, his main objective was to complete his Bachelor of Science in Aeronautics before Nov. 2020 to be in the window to apply for Officer Candidate School.
In a 22-month period, Keran completed 72 credit hours, including several courses he paid for out of pocket because they were not covered by government tuition assistance. In the end, his strong motivation, hard work and careful planning helped him to achieve his dream, and he graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in Aeronautics .
On March 9, 2021, Keran sent Domenica Barry, the Sigonella Campus Assistant Director, a message stating:
“I’ve been wanting to stop by your office lately but my schedule has been extremely busy. I want to let you know that I was selected for the officer program! I will be a Naval Flight Officer! I’ll operate all of the equipment aboard an aircraft (radar, weapons, etc…).
Thank you for all of the help in completing my degree and making this goal a reality! I am beyond grateful! I am very grateful to have had you as my counselor, truly. I never had to worry about enrollment deadlines, what classes I would take next, nothing. You made the planning aspect of the degree a breeze for me. For this, I am ever so grateful!”
When asked what it means to be an ERAU student, Keran answered, “Embry-Riddle has a great reputation in the aviation industry. My world revolves around aviation. Receiving the welcome letter from ERAU was surely one of the most grateful moments I have had since arriving in Sicily.”
Keran will be leaving his current duty station with his diploma in hand and an amazing career ahead of him having lived up to his favorite quote: “If you want it, you must work for it. Chase your dreams.”
| Date Taken: | 04.09.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 05.07.2021 08:27 |
| Story ID: | 394550 |
| Location: | SIGONELLA, IT |
| Hometown: | ENGLEWOOD, COLORADO, US |
| Web Views: | 54 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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