GREAT LAKES (NNS) – Airman Apprentice Araceli White graduated as the top sailor from Recruit Training Command (RTC) Great Lakes, earning the Military Excellence Award (MEA) on Feb. 20, 2025.
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White, from Clarksville, Tennessee, enlisted for a variety of reasons, including the opportunity to serve the country.
“I was blessed to grow up and be supported by a great family,” White said. “Even though I’ve been lucky enough to have opportunities and choices, I’ve always felt like I wanted to accomplish something on my own. I wanted a job where I could influence people and help to make our country a better place. I believe that being a part of the Navy will allow me to accomplish these things and build the leadership skills I need to progress and develop as a person.”
White, 18, graduated from West Creek High School and was a member of the National Honor Society, the honor choir, student government and the drama club. In addition, White was an all-state soccer player and won the Miss Gladiolus Days Scholarship Pageant in 2022.
The Navy Club of the United States Military Excellence Award is the top award presented to the recruit that best exemplifies the qualities of enthusiasm, devotion to duty, military bearing and teamwork. The award places her at the pinnacle of today’s newest sailors. White is awarded a flag letter of commendation as part of her recognition.
The award, according to White, is the best possible first step to start her naval career.
“No matter what I’m doing, I’ve always tried to work as hard as possible and give 100%,” said White. “If you put your heart into things, you’ll be surprised by what you can accomplish. Winning this award is a reminder that being passionate and resilient in life can lead to great things. I’m motivated now more than ever to continue to encourage others and make the most out of my experiences.”
White’s Recruit Division Commanders ( RDCs) Senior Chief Constructionman Steven Jennings, Chief Personnel Specialist (PSC) Dwayne Messam and Hull Maintenance Technician 1st Class Brittany Grimes guided her through the 10-week process.
“There were definitely days during boot camp when I wasn’t myself,” White said. “PSC Messam was always the first one to notice and would be the one to motivate me. He’d always share his life lessons with us or give us little bits of advice that would help us to put things in perspective. I learned so much from him and I’m appreciative to all of my RDCs for everything they taught us.”
Along with her RDCs, White found inspiration from her fellow recruits.
“Having shared experiences really helped me to form a bond with my fellow recruits," White said. "No matter how bad things seemed to be or how challenging the circumstances were, what kept me going was having such a good team by my side that I knew I could count on. More than anything I didn’t want to let them down.”
White said the biggest challenge she faced in boot camp was building the necessary leadership traits needed to be successful.
“I’ve always been able to connect with people and find common ground,” said White. “What wasn’t always easy was getting all of the other recruits to connect with each other. The more you can become a team, the more successful you’re going to be. Learning how to navigate conflicting personalities and the different strengths and weaknesses that we all had wasn't always easy. Learning how to lead them so that we could all become one team instead of a group of individuals was something I had to work hard at.”
After graduation, White will attend Air Traffic Controller “A” School in Pensacola, Florida, for training in the fundamentals of air traffic control, radar and radio communications group instruction and simulators.
Training at RTC Great Lakes is approximately 10 weeks, and all enlistees in the U.S. Navy begin their careers at the command. More than 40,000 Recruits train annually at the Navy’s only boot camp.