On Nov. 23 senior Jesùs Silverio spent the night downtown across from the Federal Building, he was in bed by 10:30 and the next morning he woke up early to prepare to be sworn into the Marines. At around 5 a.m. he walked into the Federal Building with the other recruits that would be sworn in that day. He waited for a while, after taking the required blood, hearing, vision and urine tests, for it to be his turn. Eventually he was brought into a blue carpeted room, raised his right hand and said his oath which officially swore him in as a U.S. Marine.

“It was cool, it was a new sense of pride,” Jesùs said. “They told us a percent of Americans that do that, and it was a low number and to be one of those people was very cool.”

For the time being, Jesùs has signed a contract to be an aviation mechanic, but he is also considering the Marine band or possibly going into communications later on in his career. But what Jesùs is currently looking forward to the most is his ability to take advantage of the learning opportunities in front of him and traveling around the country for his boot camp and training.

‘I’ll be going to Florida for learning how to be an aviation mechanic, and it’ll be right along the beach so that’ll be fun,” Jesùs said.

Jesùs’s recruiter Sgt. Ricky Chan began talking to Jesùs about eight months ago and he encouraged Jesùs to join the Marines immediately.

“I knew it would benefit him and give him a better future,” Chan said. “It gives him experience in life and will pay all of his college tuition.”

According to Jesùs people’s perspective of him has changed since he enlisted. He believes choosing the Marines over college was something unexpected, but that people look up to him more now than they did in the past.

“A lot of people looked up to me better, they look at me differently,” Jesùs said. “Before, I was just goofy Jesùs and now that I’m going into the military I have a lot more respect from a lot more people which is a good feeling.”

This year Jesùs was nominated for Knights of the Round Table by assistant band director Paul Ahlemeyer. Ahlemeyer has known Jesùs for four years and has seen him grow and mature. He chose Jesùs because of the work Jesùs has put into the band program.

“I nominated him because of his character and it’s come through because of his dedication and service to the band program,” Ahlemeyer said. “He’s been an exemplary band student since he started and when he finally joined marching band his junior year he took off as this great young man who was willing to work hard and help others along the way. He’s not just for himself; he’s really about the team and making sure everyone’s on board and succeeding along with him.”

Ahlemeyer has known Jesùs since he was a freshman which means that he has been witness to the way Jesùs has changed and grown up.

“He’s matured,” Ahlemeyer said. “He’s got a really level head on his shoulders. he understands the world as it is, he’s very realistic. He’s really optimistic and he’s gained this understanding of how things work and he puts himself in the right situations with the right people.”

As of right now, Jesùs is in a kind of limbo. He is waiting for Aug. 17 for his boot camp to start. While he is waiting, he is called a poolee, and he must attend at least one day of physical training (PT) a month. PT is offered on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays and Jesùs does his best to attend once a week and every Saturday to keep himself in shape.

Jesùs knows that going into the Marines will change him. He will learn and grow as a person, and five years from now he thinks he will be a much different and much better man.

“I’ll be more polite, not that I’m not, but I’ll be a well-kept guy,” Jesùs said. “Sophisticated, smarter, fitter, all those things.”

Jesùs knows that most of his fellow classmates will be moving on to college, whereas he will be starting the career that he hopes to have for the next 20 years, but he is happy with his decision and knows that it will be a perfect fit for his future.

“I wouldn’t put myself higher than them because they’re getting an education and getting a degree and all that,” Jesùs said. “I kinda wanted to do that but I think the military is a good place for me because I wasn’t always into school work but I would always work hard to do what I’m told and I think that’s a perfect fit.”