Photo By Sgt. Antonio Rubio | Kimberly Danette Olarte, a Marine Corps poolee in the Marine Corps Delayed Entry...... read more read more
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Olarte, a native of Caracas, Venezuela, and a senior at Green Hope High School, is scheduled to depart in June for Marine Corps boot camp. For eight months she’s been training with her recruiters in the Delayed Entry Program, which physically and mentally prepares applicants for the challenges they’ll face in training.
“At the beginning of my senior year I started thinking about whether I wanted to competitively swim in college or join the military,” said Olarte. “A Marine recruiter approached me and asked if I’d like to sit down and discuss the opportunities the Marine Corps has to offer.”
Olarte said she did not have a clear understanding of the differences between each branch. When she mentioned the idea of joining the Marine Corps, Olarte says many people questioned her decision. Her mother asked if she thought the Marine Corps was too much. But Olarte said, “If I set my mind to it I know I can accomplish it.”
After hearing what her recruiter, Staff Sgt. Curtis Dewyea, a military policemen, had to say, Olarte decided to join the Marine Corps because of its values. As a part of the Titan’s Swim team, she embodied teamwork and unselfishness – the same traits of leadership valued by the Marine Corps. As a swim instructor for children ages 6 – 12 at the Triangle Aquatics Center, leadership training and opportunities resonated very well with her. More than anything, she wants to continue to be challenge after high school.
“There are many people out there who think it’s too hard for females,” said Olarte. “It’s 2017 and things have changed. We have woman in combat roles and a plethora of female rock-star role models doing amazing things. So I asked myself, ‘Why can’t I be one of them too?’”
Dewyea initially spoke with Olarte in June of 2016 and he had her conduct the initial strength test for the first time.
“When she first joined the DEP, the females were required to do the flexed-arm hang, which is a test of holding up your body weight,” said Dewyea. “At first, Olarte could hold her body weight for a max time of 10 seconds out of the possible 70. While she was improving her time, the Marine Corps physical fitness standards changed to require females to do pull-ups, so it was back too square one. But with our help and the help of the other poolees, she’s now at two pull-ups and continues to push herself. I’m very proud of her.”
Olarte’s last IST performance was one pull-up, 99 crunches and a 10-minute-and-24-second, 1.5 mile run which gave her a score of 269 out of 300.
“Since we have our IST every month, I’m constantly pushing myself to be better physically, while on top of staying focused on my grades plus making it to work on time and being around my family,” said Olarte. “It’s a lot of work but I feel I’m managing it well and feeling better prepared for the future.”
| Date Taken: | 04.05.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 04.05.2017 10:05 |
| Story ID: | 229243 |
| Location: | CARY, NC, US |
| Hometown: | CARY, NC, US |
| Web Views: | 229 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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