SAN DIEGO - Navy Midshipman 1st Class Lauren Faria, a native of Dallas, Texas, is a midshipman at the U.S. Naval Academy. Faria recently completed Career Orientation and Training (CORTRAMID) aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Boxer, currently operating out of San Diego, California.
Faria is a 2021 graduate of Flower Mound High School and is majoring in robotics and control engineering at the academy.
The skills and values needed to succeed at the academy are similar to those found in Dallas.
“I have always had a great support system from my hometown,” Faria said. “They stressed the importance of paying it forward.”
Faria has been at the academy for three years.
“I wanted to go to the Naval Academy because I was looking to do more and be more with people with the same mindset,” Faria said.
The Naval Academy is the undergraduate college of our country’s naval service. Located in Annapolis, Maryland, it prepares young men and women to become professional officers of competence, character and compassion in the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps.
Naval Academy students are midshipmen on active duty in the U.S. Navy. They attend the academy for four years, graduating with Bachelor of Science degrees and commissions as Ensigns in the Navy and Second Lieutenants in the Marine Corps. Naval Academy graduates serve at least five years in the Navy or Marine Corps.
CORTRAMID is a four-week summer event that offers Midshipmen a month-long opportunity to step away from university life and experience the operational communities of the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. During the program, Midshipmen spend one week each with the surface, submarine, aviation and Marine Corps communities. This hands-on training introduces them to Navy and Marine Corps operations and helps shape their future summer cruise experiences and service selection preferences before commissioning. Most participants will travel aboard ships, submarines, and aircraft, and spend a week embedded with Marines, gaining valuable exposure to these key communities.
“I am training to be a surface warfare officer,” Faria said. “Once I graduate next year, I hope to come to San Diego, hopefully on a big deck. This training has given me a behind-the-scenes look at what goes on.”
Boxer plays a crucial role in projecting power and maintaining presence for naval forces. It serves as the cornerstone of amphibious operations, capable of carrying Marines, their equipment, and aircraft to execute a wide range of missions, from humanitarian assistance and disaster relief to full-scale amphibious assaults. This ship enables forces to rapidly deploy and sustain operations in littoral (near-shore) environments, providing a versatile platform for achieving strategic objectives across the globe.
Resembling a small aircraft carrier, Boxer’s crew is made up of approximately 1,200 officers and enlisted personnel and can accommodate up to 1,800 Marines.
The U.S. Navy is celebrating its 250th birthday this year.
According to Navy officials, “America is a maritime nation and for 250 years, America’s Warfighting Navy has sailed the globe in defense of freedom.”
With 90% of global commerce traveling by sea and access to the internet relying on the security of undersea fiber-optic cables, Navy officials continue to emphasize that the prosperity of the United States is directly linked to recruiting and retaining talented people from across the rich fabric of America.
After graduating from the academy, Faria will serve a Navy that operates far forward, around the world and around the clock, promoting the nation’s prosperity and security.
“I am the product of immigrants,” Faria said. “My grandparents immigrated to the States in their 20s with the hope of the ‘American Dream.’ I am first-generation military. I’ve been given so much and I want to give back.”
Faria is grateful to others for helping make a Navy career possible.
“I owe everything to my family, my mother, Ausa, my father, Larry, my sister, Madison, and the village it took to get me here,” Faria added.
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Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Kevin Tang, Navy Public Affairs Support Element West |
Faria is a 2021 graduate of Flower Mound High School and is majoring in robotics and control engineering at the academy.
The skills and values needed to succeed at the academy are similar to those found in Dallas.
“I have always had a great support system from my hometown,” Faria said. “They stressed the importance of paying it forward.”
Faria has been at the academy for three years.
“I wanted to go to the Naval Academy because I was looking to do more and be more with people with the same mindset,” Faria said.
The Naval Academy is the undergraduate college of our country’s naval service. Located in Annapolis, Maryland, it prepares young men and women to become professional officers of competence, character and compassion in the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps.
Naval Academy students are midshipmen on active duty in the U.S. Navy. They attend the academy for four years, graduating with Bachelor of Science degrees and commissions as Ensigns in the Navy and Second Lieutenants in the Marine Corps. Naval Academy graduates serve at least five years in the Navy or Marine Corps.
CORTRAMID is a four-week summer event that offers Midshipmen a month-long opportunity to step away from university life and experience the operational communities of the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. During the program, Midshipmen spend one week each with the surface, submarine, aviation and Marine Corps communities. This hands-on training introduces them to Navy and Marine Corps operations and helps shape their future summer cruise experiences and service selection preferences before commissioning. Most participants will travel aboard ships, submarines, and aircraft, and spend a week embedded with Marines, gaining valuable exposure to these key communities.
“I am training to be a surface warfare officer,” Faria said. “Once I graduate next year, I hope to come to San Diego, hopefully on a big deck. This training has given me a behind-the-scenes look at what goes on.”
Boxer plays a crucial role in projecting power and maintaining presence for naval forces. It serves as the cornerstone of amphibious operations, capable of carrying Marines, their equipment, and aircraft to execute a wide range of missions, from humanitarian assistance and disaster relief to full-scale amphibious assaults. This ship enables forces to rapidly deploy and sustain operations in littoral (near-shore) environments, providing a versatile platform for achieving strategic objectives across the globe.
Resembling a small aircraft carrier, Boxer’s crew is made up of approximately 1,200 officers and enlisted personnel and can accommodate up to 1,800 Marines.
The U.S. Navy is celebrating its 250th birthday this year.
According to Navy officials, “America is a maritime nation and for 250 years, America’s Warfighting Navy has sailed the globe in defense of freedom.”
With 90% of global commerce traveling by sea and access to the internet relying on the security of undersea fiber-optic cables, Navy officials continue to emphasize that the prosperity of the United States is directly linked to recruiting and retaining talented people from across the rich fabric of America.
After graduating from the academy, Faria will serve a Navy that operates far forward, around the world and around the clock, promoting the nation’s prosperity and security.
“I am the product of immigrants,” Faria said. “My grandparents immigrated to the States in their 20s with the hope of the ‘American Dream.’ I am first-generation military. I’ve been given so much and I want to give back.”
Faria is grateful to others for helping make a Navy career possible.
“I owe everything to my family, my mother, Ausa, my father, Larry, my sister, Madison, and the village it took to get me here,” Faria added.