Olarte graduated from Sebastian River High School in 2016 and joined the military shortly thereafter as a Yeoman in the submarine force.
"I joined [the military] to be able to travel and to get my college education paid for, but also to be a part of something bigger than myself," said Olarte.
While he is guaranteed plenty of travel in his upcoming maiden deployment aboard South Dakota, Olarte continues to pursue his college education.
"My goals are to apply for a medical officer program and be accepted," said Olarte.
His daily life aboard South Dakota is his focal point each day while also working on the overall plan to make his dream a reality. In his role as a yeoman, Olarte assists the boat's personnel with administrative and legal matters.
"I help the mission by taking care of the Sailors with things like awards, reenlistments, pay issues, and instructions," said Olarte. "Having a Sailor come to us with an issue and being able to take care of them with whatever they need is my favorite part about my job."
Olarte's off-duty interests include football, photography and ultimate frisbee.
A native of Bogota, Colombia, Olarte and his family and moved to the United States when he was three years old with his family. His father, Luis Olarte, his mother, Miriam Alvarez, and his uncle, Francisco Alvarez, still reside in Sebastian.
"My proudest moment in the Navy was seeing my family right after graduating boot camp in Great Lakes," said Olarte. "My proudest moment at this command would be qualifying an out-of-rate watch station."
Submariners are encouraged to expand their professional knowledge and abilities beyond their senior in-watch stations by qualifying in watch stations such as sonar.
The South Dakota is a flexible, multi-mission platform designed to carry out the seven core competencies of the submarine force: anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, delivery of special operations forces, strike warfare, irregular warfare, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance and mine warfare. It’s 377 feet long and 34 feet wide and weighs nearly 7,800 tons, powered by a nuclear reactor to push the boat through water at speeds of more than 25 knots while submerged.
As the most modern and sophisticated attack submarine in the world, the submarine can operate in both littoral and deep ocean environments and presents combatant commanders with a broad and unique range of operational capabilities.