NOLS Graduate to Train Plebes

As a high school student, Erica Perez participated in two NOLS Professional Training courses run for the Student Expedition Program (STEP). Looking back on this experience, Erica says the most important lessons of her NOLS course were the result of the experiential approach that NOLS takes. Erica continues to embrace these lessons as a midshipman at the United States Naval Academy (USNA), a challenge she pursued because of her experience with NOLS.

“To learn leadership you need to be placed out of your element and in a challenging situation and overcome that situation, which is what my NOLS course was all about. The whole ‘getting out of your element’ experience of NOLS gave me the courage to take on a challenge like the Naval Academy,” Erica said.

Now in her third year at the USNA, Erica continues to reflect on the overlap between lessons learned on her NOLS courses and life as a midshipman.

“Our plebe [freshman] summer exercises were very similar to NOLS lessons. In the mornings we would engage in drills that were purposefully designed so that you couldn’t get through them on your own. It is required that you bond with people around you and work together as a team,” Erica noted.

She added many of the direct lessons were reminiscent of what her NOLS Instructors had told her, like “camaraderie is one of the most powerful tools [for] overcoming challenges.”

Erica has excelled in developing her leadership skills, and as a result has been given the opportunity to take on a new role.

“This upcoming summer I will be a Plebe Summer squad leader for the incoming class of 2015,” she said. “[It] is known to be one of the most rewarding leadership positions offered at the Academy.”