Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Nolan Pennington | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (November 8, 2018) Aviation Machinist’s Mate 2nd Class...... read more read more
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OKLAHOMA CITY, Oklahoma (NNS) – Recruiting can be a heavy workload, especially with this year’s goal increase of 44,000 Future Sailors. Growing the Navy to man 355 ships isn’t a light task when you compare career options in the civilian sector and a healthy employment rate for the country. It takes more to sell the idea of serving America’s nation through the military, and when a Navy recruiter is successful, it is a reflection of their dedication to the job. Especially for a Navy recruiter used to heavy lifting.
Aviation Machinist’s Mate 2nd Class Arielle Jackson, a Navy Recruiting District (NRD) Dallas recruiter, is a Sailor who’s ready for these challenges. As a professional-level body builder, Jackson loves competing at a high-level, and inspires others to compete on her level.
“I like to win. I like to be the best – always,” said Jackson. “I want to make sure that I am doing my part to help grow the world’s greatest Navy with the best quality of people.”
One of the ways Jackson likes to compete is to create an unspoken rivalry with fellow recruiters from the other military branches of service, making sure everyone who wants to join the military walks through the Navy’s door first. She says competition and camaraderie between services go hand-in-hand.
“I find myself being competitive with the other branches,” said Jackson. “I fell in love with the Navy, and I fell in love with what I do, so I wanted to offer others the experience. Each branch has something unique to offer, but I like to show potential applicants what the Navy can do, drawing them in to my office first.”
Jackson expresses that while she enjoys the rivalry against other branches of recruiting, it is not enough competition for her. Jackson has been training for the biggest body competition in the state of Oklahoma, the National Physique Committee (NPC) Grand Prix. Winners of this competition go on to a national level, competing against professionals in competitions like the Arnold Classic, which is Jackson’s long-term goal.
Jackson began weight lifting in 2013 and makes significant sacrifices every day to ensure she is well prepared for the NPC. She expresses it can be overwhelming at times, but she is consistently reminded that there is something to be won at the end of it all.
After months of training, Jackson competed against 20 other women in her division at the NPC Grand Prix, placing fourth overall.
“I worked really hard to get here, and even though I didn’t win, it made me feel really accomplished being in this competition,” said Jackson. “I’m going to do whatever I can and work as hard as I can to be better for next year. When I don’t win at something, I learn from it and apply what I have learned to my next attempt.”
In addition to being in body building competitions, she also dedicates her time as a volunteer track coach at Putnam City High School in Oklahoma City, which is where she graduated from in 2009. Over the last four years, Monday through Friday, Jackson has served as a track coach and a mentor.
“I enjoy volunteering so much because the kids have gotten to a point where they can come to me with any of their problems, and I love that they trust me enough to do that,” said Jackson. “It’s amazing being a mentor and being able to help these kids out and point them in the right direction. I get to run around the track meets in Navy gear showing the positive support for my track students while also showing that in the Navy you can have a life outside of work.”
Jackson expressed that over her nine-year career in the Navy, she’s had many opportunities to contribute to her community in a positive way, and in turn that community helped develop her into the Sailor she is today.
“The Navy has opened so many doors for me and turned me into someone my son looks up to and loves to brag about,” said Jackson. “I wanted to join recruiting because I wanted to be able to show other single parents, like myself, there are amazing opportunities out there for us and we are not limited on what we can and cannot do.”
As a Navy recruiter with a healthy appetite for competition, Jackson plans to continue to influence the lives of Future Sailors, and members of her community.
“My advice to everyone would be to do everything 110 percent,” said Jackson. “Make sure you are doing everything that you are supposed to be doing and not to allow yourself to make shortcuts.”
The Navy’s recruiting force totals over 6,100 personnel in more than 1,000 recruiting stations around the globe. Their combined goal is to attract the highest quality candidates to assure the ongoing success of America’s Navy. NRC consists of a command headquarters, two Navy Recruiting Regions, 20 Navy Recruiting Districts and six Navy Talent Acquisition Groups.
Navy Recruiting District Dallas encompasses almost 40 recruiting stations and covers the entire state of Oklahoma and north Texas. The command’s headquarters is in Irving, Texas, and they process applicants through the Dallas, Oklahoma City and Amarillo Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS).
For more news from Commander, Navy Recruiting Command, go to http://www.cnrc.navy.mil. Follow Navy Recruiting on Facebook (www.facebook.com/NavyRecruiting), Twitter (@USNRecruiter) and Instagram (@USNRecruiter).
| Date Taken: | 11.08.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 11.08.2018 18:03 |
| Story ID: | 299323 |
| Location: | TENNESSEE, US |
| Web Views: | 322 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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