by Rick
Burke, Navy Office of Community Outreach Public Affairs
PENSACOLA,
Fla. – A 2009 Lake Havasu High School graduate and Lake Havasu City, Arizona,
native was announced as a 2017 junior enlisted Military Instructor of the Year
(IOY) finalist for Naval Education and Training Command (NETC) at a ceremony
onboard Naval Air Station Pensacola at the National Naval Aviation Museum Dec.
14.
Electronics
Technician Petty Officer 2nd Class Demi Muha is a Survival, Evasion,
Resistance, and Escape (SERE) instructor at the Center for Security Forces (CSF)
Det. North Island, San Diego. She trains service members on the use of survival
skills in the event of isolation or captivity.
“I
have definitely been humbled by all of the wonderful people that I have had the
pleasure of working with,” said Muha. “They
showed me that I had a long way to go to be the instructor that I am today. I
have become more of a leader and more confident in front of large groups of
people.”
Rear
Adm. Kyle Cozad, NETC commander, congratulated all the finalists in each
category 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 CSF Det. North Island for her second
year, Muha 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.
“My
infectious enthusiasm is the key to drawing my students in during my lessons,”
said Muha. “Passion breeds a productive
learning environment. I feel like my students see it, and it makes them more
inclined to engage and learn.”
Out
of approximately 8,000 instructors within NETC, Muha was one of two finalists
who competed for the NETC junior enlisted IOY. She received a Navy and Marine
Corps Commendation Medal for her achievements.
The
IOY recognition ceremony concluded a week of activities in Pensacola honoring
the nominated candidates.
“Seeing the professionalism and dedication of all
these outstanding Instructor 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.”
Muha
is pursuing a bachelor’s degree from Embry Riddle University.
“As
of right now, I am in the process of applying for the warrant officer flight training
program for the Army,” said Muha. “I
think it would be a wonderful field to finish out my career in.”
The
NETC IOY programs recognize Sailors throughout the NETC domain who exhibit
sustained superior performance, leadership, mentorship, knowledge and teaching
of military history and heritage, self-improvement, command and community
involvement and exemplary military bearing among other attributes.
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
http://www.facebook.com/netcpao and Twitter @netcpao.