Photo By Cherish Gilmore | Petty Officer 1st Class Fonanti Sapee, an enlisted outreach coordinator at the Office...... read more read more
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A leap of faith and hopes of becoming a pilot set one Sailor on a path from enlisted ranks to officer candidacy.
For Petty Officer 1st Class Fonanti Sapee, an enlisted outreach coordinator at the Office of Naval Research (ONR), the dream of becoming a naval officer began not in a recruiter’s office or at a career fair, but through watching friends succeed.
Aboard his previous command, USS Columbus, Sapee, whose rate is Machinist's Mate Nuclear, witnessed fellow Sailors apply for and gain acceptance to the Seaman to Admiral-21 (STA-21) program — the Navy’s commissioning opportunity for active-duty enlisted personnel.
By maintaining their active-duty status while receiving a scholarship to attend a top-tier university, STA participants advance their careers while contributing to the Navy’s operational excellence.
Now, Sapee himself has joined their ranks, earning his own acceptance to the competitive program that will send him to a six-week course in Newport, Rhode Island, a college of his choosing, and eventually back to the Fleet as a commissioned officer.
The Acceptance
When the acceptance notification arrived, Sapee’s first emotion was relief.
“It was a lot of work, and I am glad that my efforts were not in vain,” he said. “The months of preparation, the interviews, the paperwork — all of it led to this singular moment of validation.”
Sapee’s first call was to his mother, who has been a big supporter of his naval career.
The Process
Sapee began working on his application several months before the deadline, but the intensity ramped up in the final weeks. “I really pushed hard the last month to get it all done,” he said.
The most challenging aspect involved coordinating interviews while maintaining his regular duties.
Sapee serves as the warfighter engagement lead for ONR Global’s TechSolutions department, which delivers rapidly prototyped solutions across the Fleet and Force from ideas submitted by Sailors and Marines to make their jobs safer and easier.
The position requires coordination with various commands across the Navy and Marine Corps, travel to Fleet concentration areas and other locations, and speaking engagements during collaboration visits with warfighters.
Therefore, finding time to complete application requirements while fulfilling daily responsibilities required careful planning and support from leadership.
ONR Global Commanding Officer Capt. Eric Hutter and ONR Command Master Chief Joe Devore worked with Sapee to manage scheduling and logistics.
Sapee also credits ONR Chief Petty Officer Yeoman Jelissa Pollard, who ensured every document was properly completed and submitted on time. “I would have not made the deadline without her,” he said.
The Future
For Sapee, college is uncharted territory, but he looks forward to studying aerospace engineering — a degree that points toward a future in naval aviation.
“I absolutely love aircraft and the engineering that goes behind it,” he said.
In five years, Sapee sees himself “as a graduate of naval flight school and flying a naval aircraft.”
The application process requires time and effort, but the reward for Sailors like Sapee is a college education, a commission and the opportunity to lead from a position of experience.
After years serving in the enlisted ranks, Sapee brings a perspective that cannot be taught in a classroom.
“I’ve witnessed firsthand the communication dynamics between enlisted Sailors and officers from both perspectives,” he said.
“My experience in the enlisted ranks has given me invaluable insight into the challenges and concerns of the Sailors I’ll lead one day. I understand their world because I’ve lived it — and that perspective will shape the kind of officer I hope to become.”
Cherish T. Gilmore is a contractor for ONR Corporate Strategic Communications.
| Date Taken: | 12.22.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 12.22.2025 14:04 |
| Story ID: | 555170 |
| Location: | ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 28 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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