(Continuity / Smooth Transition) Why thank you, Birdie.  Wasn’t he great?  The points made regarding my somewhat meticulous, methodical, and committed nature are things that I developed through NJROTC, something that has influenced much of who I am today.  NJROTC stands for Navy Junior Recruit Officer Training Corps, and this group has been as a family to me through my high school years.  By instilling in me the values of honor, courage, and commitment, I learned that I have to work hard to succeed at my goals, even if sacrifices must be made.  From organizing community service projects to leading platoons in competitions and inspections, this community allowed me to develop as a leader and as an individual.  In the words of my Commanding Officer my freshman year, “Why the hell are you looking at the floor, cadet?”  We must look up, to the future, or we’ll constantly be stuck in the past.  One thing in the future that I look forward to is improving myself as a developing rhetor in this class.  I hope to become a stronger critical thinker, since as Derek Bok said, “If you think education is expensive, try ignorance” (Bok 1991).    In order to succeed, one must be willing to make sacrifices and invest in worthy goals.​