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Hi! I'm Amanda. Welcome to my padlet. I'm 31 years old and a veteran. I thought since I've lived a lot of life so far, the timeline layout would be the best to get to know me.

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I was one of the first four year graduates from Canyon Lake High School. I did band and football. Go Hawks!

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Six months following graduation, I enlisted in the Marine Corps. After boot camp and basic combat training, I attended basic trade school in Pensacola, FL. There I learned how to sail as a hobby. After eight months of classes, I went to Virginia to learn my specific trade knowledge. Finally, after over a year of education, I became an F-18 mechanic.

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I was sent to VFMA-232, Red Devils, for my first duty assignment. Yes, to answer a question you might ask, I worked on this aircraft specifically. 232 has the cool fact of being the oldest Marine Fighter Attack squadron in the service, dating back to September 1925. Once I arrived, I was dispatched to Corrosion Control and HAZMAT, where I learned how to paint the aircraft.

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During my first deployment to Japan, our squadron got to take a trip to Iwo Jima, home of the famous flag-raising site. It was a surreal experience walking on the beaches of volcanic sand, trying to run, and understanding just how difficult what they did was. I still have some of this sand in a mason jar. I also got to visit the administrative building where Pearl Harbor was planned. My first deployment was a very invigorating experience. Also Japanese food, yum.

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I got to go to TOPGUN! While I was stationed at MCAS Miramar, the location of the first movie, I also got to go to NAS Fallon and participate in the actual fighter training program. I got buzzed by aircraft and got to watch them drop bombs on to targets at the bombing range. I still, to this day however, have never seen either movie. Don't @ me.

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During my second deployment, in the middle east this time, a lot went wrong. We were stationed on Isa Airbase and it was miserable. 90 degrees at 4am with 70% humidity. That was just the weather. My cousin committed suicide in June, and four days later my girlfriend dumped me. I had a hard time coping with everything and was sent back early for my own well-being. It was tough coming back, not having the warm welcome that you usually get returning stateside.

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Upon returning home from OIR, my OIC (officer in charge, the direct officer I reported to) lost his life in a tragic plane crash. I tend to blame myself for not being there, and it's taken a lot to get over this. I think, 'had I been there, maybe things would have been different.' He was a great leader and outstanding person. He has a memorial piece in the NYT best seller "Terminal Lance."

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After taking a few months to get my head right, I was transferred to VMFAT-101. There I was working with the Navy and Civilians on 40 different aircraft and while untrained pilots were learning how to operate the F-18. A few months later I voluntarily discharged and left the military to become a civilian again.

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I went to A&M two semesters following my discharge. I was only there for two semesters before I dropped out. But during that time I made a name for myself. I came up with a prototype Artificial Gravity Simulator for the I.S.S. during my first semester. Unfortunately, after meeting with a former Astronaut and doctorate in Aerospace Engineering, it turned out to be unviable. However, due to my efforts, I got to be a part of the team working on an engineering showcase that's on display in the new Zachary Engineering building. As you can see, I was very busy with things to do outside of the classroom, and my grades slipped causing me to drop out for a few years.

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For the past 6 years, I've just been trying to hang on. As you know the pandemic made life hard for a while, and my mental health was already struggling. On top of this, my mother died last year of a very rare form of cancer. Recently, I've pulled out of my funk and decided to give college another shot with some basic courses at ACC. What I want out of this class in particular is to be able to do work without any stringent oversight. I'm not the best self-motivator, so taking a class without set times is the lesson itself.

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I went to go see a band called Gojira back in April of last year, and recently got to see Tool live. Needless to say, I like music on the heavier side. According to Spotify, though, I am in the top 0.5% of listeners of Pink Floyd. I'm actually learning to play some at the moment. I'm not great but go ahead and give a listen if you like.

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Yay! You've reached the end. Finally, just to lay out some of my hobbies: I play something like 6 instruments, I have a beautiful black lab whom I love, recently I've been into Kerbal Space Program, and was working on building a tiny house for a while. My goal with education is to eventually transfer back to A&M and graduate with a degree in Interdisciplinary Engineering, then get a job somewhere helping to solve the climate crisis.

Thank you for reading.

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This is the setlist in order of the Gojira/Mastodon concert I went to. Greatest experience of my life, honestly.