GREAT LAKES (NNS) – Airman Sara Jelesiewicz graduated as the top Sailor from Recruit Training Command (RTC) Great Lakes, earning the Military Excellence Award (MEA) May 28, 2026.
Jelesiewicz, 23, of Chatsworth, New Jersey, said the news left her speechless — and then put everything into perspective.
"When I found out I won the Military Excellence Award, I was absolutely speechless," she said. "I wasn't conducting myself in a way to specifically achieve an award. I was simply upholding my own personal standards. Winning this tells me that by being myself, I'll continue to achieve excellence in the fleet."
The Military Excellence Award is presented to the recruit who best demonstrates enthusiasm, devotion to duty, military bearing and teamwork throughout training. As part of the recognition, recipients receive a flag letter of commendation.
The path to RTC began more than a decade earlier, on the Jersey Shore. When Hurricane Sandy struck her hometown in 2012, Jelesiewicz was ten years old. The storm left a mark that never faded.
"Ever since Hurricane Sandy impacted my hometown, I've had a passion for understanding the atmosphere," she said. "After finishing my degree, I wanted a career that would let me grow within my field and reward the hard work I put in every day. I couldn't think of a better choice than to join the Navy."
She followed that passion straight through to a Bachelor of Science in Applied Atmospheric Science from East Carolina University, graduating in December 2025. Weeks later, she was at boot camp. The rate she chose, Aerographer's Mate, will put her atmospheric science degree directly to work in the Navy's operational weather and oceanography mission.
The person who carried her through training wasn't standing in the ship with her. It was her late grandfather, Gunner's Mate 3rd Class Richard Wichrowski, who served in the Navy before her.
"On the bus ride from the airport to RTC, I made one promise to myself — use all of the wisdom my grandfather gave me and make him proud," Jelesiewicz said. "Although he's not here to write letters or give me pep talks, I knew he was with me every step of the way. Knowing I was carrying on his legacy kept me striving for excellence."
Her RDCs, Chief Fire Controlman Dorian Snyder, Aviation Boatswain's Mate (Handling) 1st Class Eric Velez and Aviation Machinist Mate 1st Class Adedolapo Ajagbe, reinforced that standard from the front of the room. And her husband and family steadied her from home.
The hardest part of boot camp wasn't physical. It was learning to let go.
"The toughest part was leaving my husband and dogs behind and trusting that everything would be okay without me," she said. "Creating a solid plan before I left, keeping a consistent stream of letters and staying focused on the task in front of me helped me let go of the things I couldn't control."
What steadied her most, though, were the smaller voices — the ones from childhood. Jelesiewicz grew up in the equestrian world, where early mornings, shined boots and exacting standards were simply the cost of entry. Her mother's voice came back to her during inspection prep.
"I can still hear my mom saying, 'Your hat is straight, now don't touch it,'" Jelesiewicz said. "Those little memories would pop into my head while my RDCs were training us for inspections. Being able to connect those childhood moments to what we were doing kept me calm and confident, no matter what was thrown at me."
Following graduation, Jelesiewicz will attend Aerographer's Mate "A" school for technical training in military meteorology and oceanography.
Training at RTC is approximately nine weeks long, and all enlistees in the U.S. Navy begin their careers at the command. More than 40,000 recruits train annually at the Navy's only boot camp.