He walks out of the ASVAB testing room with a smile on his face. He believes he did an outstanding job on a test which a large majority of people are not able to walk away smiling from. With the ASVAB test having an average score of 50%, Ethan set a goal for himself to score at least a 65% to start the process of getting his ideal job of Navy Seal. With his score of 87%, he is one step closer to that goal and is overjoyed for his future.

“I wanted to get a really good score overall so I could get as many job opportunities as possible,” senior NJROTC operations officer Ethan Crow said. “What I started to do was take practice tests and find the concepts I struggled the most in and studied those.”

Crow’s colleagues along with senior naval science instructor Mark Ortiz can see how Crow would thrive in the world of the Navy. His peers see his commitment to the military and are eager to watch what he’ll achieve with his experience in the program.

“He’s driven and he’s very dedicated,” Ortiz said. “He’s very loyal and the Navy is looking for people of high character, people with unquenchable drive and he’s got all that.”

Ortiz, who is a Marine veteran, speaks highly of Crow and how he shows great promise for going into the Navy. In addition to the admiration Crow receives from his superiors, his fellow students look up to him as a leader within the program.

“He’s going to be a Navy SEAL,” junior supply officer Ja’kayvion Reed said. “He’s very athletic, he’s mentally strong and he always knows what he’s doing.” 

It’s not love from his friends and captain that gets him where he is. As seen by his captain, friends and other students, Crow is someone who will grow as a person as long as he keeps his mindset.

“He’s become much more focused and understanding of the roles and responsibilities of a leader,” Ortiz said. “He’s been able to employ a lot of the character traits we teach him here and really bring to life [something] within himself. He’s growing up and maturing in all the right directions.”

His superiors believe he sets a proper example for what leadership should look like in the NJROTC program, for both underclassmen and those the same age as him. Crow has already dedicated five years of his life to the Navy with one year in the reserves and four years of active duty. Crow knows what he wants to do with his life and is determined to serve his country.

“I want this with all my heart,” Crow said. “[I’ll be in the Navy] until I die.”