Photo By Chief Petty Officer Chris Williamson | 210827-N-JH293-1006 ST. LOUIS (Aug. 27, 2021) From left to right: Yeoman 1st Class...... read more read more
ST. LOUIS – Nearly everyone has heard the adage C’s get degrees. Although that may be the case for some, it could not be further from the truth for three Sailors assigned to Navy Talent Acquisition Group (NTAG) Mid America, who instead prefer the term A’s and B’s succeed.
Yeoman 1st Class Tamoris Gordon, Navy Counselor 1st Class Nicole White, and Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Chris Williamson all graduated this past summer with their college degrees – Gordon and White with their master’s – Williamson with his bachelor’s and currently working towards a master’s.
The journey to obtain such degrees is a long and tedious road, especially at a recruiting command where so much is demanded of Sailors and recruiters. All the while dealing with life in general, especially as a single mother of two children like White.
“It’s tough sometimes,” said White. “But I began my college education because I am a mother. I wanted an education not just for myself, but because I wanted my kids to be proud of me. I have a real thirst for knowledge, and I want my kids to see that.”
Gordon also pursued his education with the mindset – because of family and to better himself.
“After getting my bachelor’s degree, I knew I wanted to return to school and get a master’s degree,” said Gordon. “That’s because it’s rare for my family to even have an associate degree. I made that goal before I even left high school so I could keep climbing and show it was possible to not only attain a higher education but get high marks as well.”
Williamson also got his degree because of family but also as a way to challenge himself.
“I know my family is proud of me for getting two degrees and working on a third,” said Williamson. “It also doesn’t come as a surprise to them because they know I’ve always loved school and challenging myself to learn as much as I can.”
Both Gordon and White chose to pursue a master’s degree, with Gordon receiving a Master’s in Business Administration and White receiving a Master’s in Public Administration, which they both use as a leadership tool.
“I chose to get that particular degree because me and my leadership at the time collectively decided that degree path would be beneficial to me and those I hoped to impact,” said White. “I use my degrees to consistently bridge the gap in the supervisory role I play as a leading petty officer.”
Along the same lines of impacting others, Gordon got his degree to help better his junior Sailors and himself.
“I decided to pursue an MBA because on my last ship I learned I was not a very good manager or leader,” said Gordon. “I was okay and managed to get by but that’s not good enough. I decided to improve and to become a better leader and manager so my Sailors can excel.
“The skills and knowledge I received from college helps me manage people in a more productive and efficient way. One of the best traits I learned was taking the time to truly listen to people and hear what they have to say instead of making a snap judgement.”
Williamson, who graduated with a Bachelor’s in Digital Media and Web Technology, uses his degrees for a different reason, sticking with the more technical side, instead of the administration side.
“I’ve been an independent duty Sailor for quite some time now, so I use my degrees and the classes I’ve taken to help make me better at my job,” said Williamson. “My rate is highly technical, so all the classes I’ve taken involving various software and programs have definitely kept me proficient in an everchanging media landscape.”
The Navy offers several facets of financial aid to Sailors, all of which they never have to pay back like traditional student loans. All three Sailors utilized two of the most popular financial avenues the Navy provides in the form of tuition assistance and the Post-9/11 GI Bill in order to pay for classes.
“Tuition assistance and the GI Bill were extremely valuable in keeping the cost of tuition down and made it more affordable to receive my degree,” said Gordon.
“It’s a no-brainer to use tuition assistance for your undergraduate degrees and then the GI Bill for your graduate degree,” said Williamson. “If the Navy is going to develop and provide benefits for college, I’m going to take them and use them to the fullest extent possible. Of course, if your school offers scholarships and grants, you should take those as well to even further your financial success.”
With the Navy providing financial success, the degrees themselves offer future success to the Sailors once they choose to leave the Navy.
“After the Navy, I aspire to be a program manager or analysist reviewer for a company who serves their community,” said White. “Perhaps even a diversity and inclusion director for a city council or other political organization.”
“I want to work as a consultant when I retire from the Navy,” said Gordon. “I’d like to use the experience I learned within the Navy coupled with my degrees to become an effective consultant for government companies outside of the Navy.”
“I’d like to be able to lead teams of media professionals,” said Williamson. “If I could manage a business or brand that produces multimedia products, social media content, and marketing strategies, that would be awesome… especially if it’s for the Dallas Cowboys.”
With their degrees literally in their hands, they emphasized it’s not all about them and their future. They want other Sailors to pursue their education, have a plan, and even surpass them.
“I would advise Sailors to make a plan for their educational futures that suits their passions and vision for their future,” said White. “They should also remain focused and remember that continuing education is another way they are investing in themselves. I’d like to see them prioritize their time so they can continue to empower themselves while performing well in their careers.”
“If Sailors want to get a degree, they should take the time to do the research before starting to take courses,” said Gordon. “Having a plan helps develop a timeline that will allow them to achieve their goal of attaining a degree.”
“I think if Sailors are interested in getting a degree, they should plan it out, make the time for it, and knock it out of the park,” said Williamson. “And then don’t stop. Keep moving forward. There are plenty of other education opportunities out there that don’t involve getting a degree. If I can motivate Sailors to keep learning and exceed my expectations and their own, I’ve done my job.”
In line with what Williamson stated, the three of them don’t plan on stopping their education and learning.
“I will be starting interior design school in January,” said White. “I have many passions and artistic design and creative expression is another one of my passions.”
“I plan on using Navy COOL to work on my project management certificate,” said Gordon. “I believe once you complete one educational goal, you need to keep improving and finding different ways you can evolve and advance.”
“My education goal for the future is to keep working towards my master’s degree,” said Williamson. “Once I get that, it’s on to certificates and qualifications.”
When asked if they would change anything about their education journey, Gordon, White, and Williamson all resoundingly said…
“Not at all.”
NTAG Mid America, part of Navy Recruiting Command, recruits the next generation of Navy Sailors throughout areas encompassing Missouri, Kansas, central and southern Illinois, and a portion of Kentucky.
For more information on Navy education opportunities, please visit https://www.navy.com/what-to-expect/education-opportunities.
For more information on the Navy College Program, please visit https://www.navycollege.navy.mil/.
| Date Taken: | 08.27.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 11.09.2021 11:24 |
| Story ID: | 408982 |
| Location: | ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, US |
| Web Views: | 180 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, A’s, B’s Succeed: Three NTAG Mid America Sailors Attain College Degrees, by CPO Chris Williamson, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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