Kayesha McNeill, right, a 2020 graduate of Zama Middle High School and former member of the school’s Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps, speaks to cadets Sept. at the school about her experiences as a newly commissioned U.S. Army officer. (Noriko Kudo, U.S. Army)
CAMP ZAMA, Japan – An alumna of Zama Middle High School returned to her former campus to speak to Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps cadets here on her experiences as a newly commissioned U.S. Army officer.
Kayesha McNeill, a former JROTC cadet herself who graduated from ZMHS in 2020, spoke to current cadets in the school’s Trojan Battalion Sept. 30, wanting to mentor and give them insight into the Army career she has just begun.
While speaking to the cadets, McNeill emphasized to them the importance of setting goals, staying motivated and seeking mentorship. She said it was an honor to talk to the cadets because she started where they are now, and she was happy to offer advice to any who may be considering a similar career path.
“It was a full-circle moment for me,” McNeill said. “I know I was once in their shoes, so it was a really good opportunity to be able to tell them about my experience.”
McNeill discussed the various opportunities available to students interested in military service, including scholarships, college programs and career paths, and emphasized the value of mentorship and the importance of supporting one another.
“One thing I love about the Army is the mentorship that comes with it,” McNeill said. “I’ve benefited from my mentors helping me out.”
McNeill said having good mentors helped her be successful throughout college and to get a good start on the military career for which she was aiming.
“I take mentorship very seriously; it’s something I take pride in,” McNeill said. “I love helping people and being able to shed light from my experiences to be able to help the next person who wants to do the same thing or have the same route as me.”
McNeill said that through her presentation, she hoped she was able to guide the cadets and be a mentor to them herself.
Cadet 1st Sgt. Cheyenne Coleman, a sophomore, said she found McNeill’s presentation inspiring to see a former JROTC cadet from her same school who is now an Army officer.
“It was really exciting to see how it all lays out in the end,” Coleman said. “Even though it seems really hard through the process, at the end, it’s going to have a way better outcome than it is.”
Coleman said hearing McNeill’s story made her realize that her dreams of becoming an intelligence officer in the Navy are achievable.
Retired Lt. Col. Douglas Fields, the senior JROTC instructor, said McNeill was one of his very first cadets since he began working at ZMHS, so it was very special to have her come back as a commissioned officer and to have his cadets see everything she had achieved.
“She established her goal early on, and obviously she’s fulfilled that,” Fields said. “Words can’t describe [how I feel].”
