PENSACOLA, Fla. – A 2006 Bay City Central High
School graduate and Bay City, Michigan, native was selected as a 2017 Sailor of
the Year (SOY) finalist for Naval Education and Training Command (NETC) at a ceremony
onboard Naval Air Station Pensacola at the National Naval Aviation Museum Dec.
14.
Interior Communications Electrician Petty Officer 1st
Class Michael A. Love is the leading petty officer at the Center for Surface
Combat Systems (CSCS) Unit Apprentice Technical Training school in Great Lakes,
Illinois. He is responsible for leading 70 active-duty and civilian instructors
in the training of basic electronic and electronics theory for 700 students
daily across eight Navy ratings.
NETC Commander Rear Adm. Kyle Cozad congratulated the
six finalists for their roles in shaping the Navy’s future force and for their
contributions to the training and education mission.
"You
represent the best of the very best throughout the domain," said Cozad.
"Each one of you here today has a common theme: a hard work ethic, a drive
to be a better leader, and teamwork. Each and every one of you is a competitor,
and that competitive edge is the thing that makes our Navy better than the
other navies today."
Teaching at CSCS Unit Great Lakes for his third
year, Love is qualified as a Master Training Specialist, which is a
designation for demonstrating highly effective teaching skills and a comprehensive
understanding of schoolhouse management, as well as for taking a leadership
role in mentoring, instructing and evaluating instructors and curriculum.
He stressed
the importance of demonstrating passion for the job.
“Showing
that I’m passionate and love what I do every day is how I inspire our
students,” said Love. “When you’re enthusiastic in front of the classroom,
students tend to be more engaged and motivated to learn.”
Out
of approximately 5,600 enlisted staff within NETC, Love was one of six Sailors
who competed for the title of NETC SOY. He
received a Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal for his achievements.
Love
believes it is crucial instructors get as involved with the training process as
possible to get a sense of the bigger picture.
“Being
at a training command can be the most rewarding tour of a Sailor’s career,”
said Love. “Take advantage of every
opportunity offered to you, whether it’s providing inputs during curriculum
reviews, earning your Master Training Specialist qualification, or being able
to impact other Sailors’ careers.”
The
SOY recognition ceremony concluded a week of activities in Pensacola honoring
the nominated candidates.
“Seeing
the professionalism and dedication of all these outstanding Sailor of the Year
finalists only validates the phrase ‘Fleet Readiness Starts Here,’” said NETC
Force Master Chief Karim Cole during the ceremony. “I am confident that we have the right people
in place to train, guide and get our Sailors ready to man the fleet.”
Love plans to continue
serving in the Navy and is pursuing a bachelor’s degree from Thomas Edison
State University.
“I
would to like to continuously develop as a leader and technical expert with my
ultimate goal of becoming a chief petty officer,” said Love. “One of the skills
I will bring back to the fleet is the ability to provide mentorship, resources
and tools to Sailors so they can continuously develop into more well-rounded
Sailors.”
The NETC SOY program
recognize Sailors throughout the NETC domain who exhibit attributes, such as sustained
superior performance, leadership, mentorship, knowledge and teaching of
military history and heritage, self-improvement, command and community
involvement, and exemplary military bearing.
NETC is the largest shore command in the Navy and is
comprised of more than 12,000 military and staff personnel at more than 230
subordinate activities and detachments in the United States and at remote sites
overseas. NETC provides training and education to more than 31,000 students on
any given day.
- - Naval Education and Training Command Public Affairs
For additional
information on the Naval Education and Training Command, visit the NETC
website: https://www.netc.navy.mil or http://www.navy.mil/local/cnet/. Follow us on Facebook at
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