Coming Full Circle

Courtesy Photo | Aviation Boatswain's Mate Nevin Stevens is highlighted in this week’s “Recruiter Spotlight.”  

RICHMOND, VIRGINIA, UNITED STATES

12.11.2020

Story by Chief Petty Officer Todd Macdonald 

Commander, Navy Recruiting Command

RICHMOND, Va. - Born and raised in Burlington, New Jersey, a suburb of Philadelphia, Aviation Boatswain’s Mate Nevin Stevens grew up playing hockey and rooting for the Philadelphia Flyers, Phillies and 76’ers.

Upon graduation from high school, Stevens did not know what he wanted to do in life. What he did know however, was that college was not it.

One day, and with no intention of joining the military, he drove a friend to a Navy recruiting station. As the saying goes, “The rest is history.”

Stevens has been in the Navy for seven years. His first assignment had him operating, maintaining and performing maintenance on steam catapults, barricades and arresting gear aboard the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75).

His most recent two years have been spent as a recruiter at NRS Virginia Beach, part of Navy Talent Acquisition Group Richmond.

After buying a house in Virginia Beach, working for recruiting just made sense.

“I came from a divorced family and moved around a lot up until the age of 8 when I moved in with my father,” said Stevens. “I wanted to have a way to where my 5-year-old daughter and 1-year-old son could have a home to grow up in.”

Making the decision to join the Navy at 18 was the best thing he could have done, said Stevens. He said without the Navy he would not have started a family nor would he have been able to provide for them the way he does.

“My family is the reason why I have stayed in the Navy, for the simple fact of I love what I do and it’s a sense of security to be able to support them.”

There was a learning curve for Stevens on his transition to recruiting. Getting familiar with the different forms an applicant needs to join the Navy and the process of making initial contact with potential applicants were some of his challenges.

He said he wasn’t the type of person to just approach people and strike up conversations.

“I usually go out prospecting with another recruiter so they can start the conversation, then I join in,” he said. “Or I find something I might have in common with the individual and talk about that. That puts us both more at ease.”

Despite the initial adjustments, Stevens has settled into recruiting just fine. In October 2020, for his outstanding efforts and accomplishments in recruiting, he was meritoriously promoted to the rank of first class petty officer, pay effective immediately.

Though the personal accolades are flattering, Stevens said being able to help people better their lives by joining the Navy is what really matters to him. When he gets calls from Sailors who have graduated boot camp, thanking him for mentoring them, that’s what makes it all worth it, said Stevens.

“It doesn’t get any better than that,” Stevens said with a smile. “That, and giving people a chance to be a part of something bigger than themselves.”

Being able to spread Navy awareness to people who may not think the Navy is for them is a feeling that comes full circle for Stevens.

From an 18-year-old kid offering a ride to a friend, to a Petty Officer 1st Class who now offers careers, what a difference seven years makes.

At the end of this year, Navy Recruiting Command will consist of a command headquarters, three Navy Recruiting Regions, 26 NTAGs and 64 Talent Acquisition Onboarding Centers (TAOCs) that will serve more than 1,000 recruiting stations around the world. Their mission is to attract the highest quality candidates to assure the ongoing success of America’s Navy.

For more news from Commander, Navy Recruiting Command, go to http://www.cnrc.navy.mil. Follow Navy Recruiting on Facebook (www.facebook.com/MyNAVYHR), Twitter (@USNRecruiter) and Instagram (@USNRecruiter).

• Date Taken: 12.11.2020
• Date Posted: 12.11.2020 14:06
• Story ID: 384793
• Location: RICHMOND, VIRGINIA, US