MILLINGTON, Tenn. – Petty Officer 3rd Class Selina Borja, a native of Darien, Georgia, was recently named Junior Sailor of the Quarter for the fourth quarter of 2025 for Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command (NMRTC) Camp Pendleton, California.
Junior Sailor of the Quarter is an award given to an enlisted sailor in the Navy who is in the pay grade of E-4, or petty officer third class. The award recognizes sailors who demonstrate sustained superior performance, leadership and professionalism.
“I am proud to have been awarded Sailor of the Quarter, but I could not have done it without my family and friends, and those I serve as a leader,” Borja said. “I want to inspire others to work towards their goals and to help them accomplish those goals.”
Borja is a 2018 graduate of McIntosh County Academy. Additionally, Borja is working toward a bachelor’s degree in health studies through Thomas Edison State University. Borja became a licensed vocational nurse in California in 2024.
The skills and values needed to succeed in the Navy are similar to those found in Darien.
“Growing up in my small town, I learned to be kind and helpful, especially from a small town like Darien,” Borja said. “The Southern hospitality taught me a lot, that if you can help others, do so, and everyone is part of your family. They helped me grow and strive to reach my goals, especially teachers like Mr. Rosenbaum and Mr. Diverger. They all helped shape me into the person I am today.”
Borja has served in the Navy for seven years.
“I wanted the opportunity to explore the world a bit and go to college, and the Navy offered me that chance,” Borja said. “I wanted to make my family and friends proud by serving my country and home.”
Today, Borja serves as a hospital corpsman with Expeditionary Medical Facility (EMF) 150 Alpha, a subordinate unit of NMRTC Camp Pendleton, which carries out its mission to maximize warfighter performance and enhance the readiness of the medical force.
EMF 150 Alpha is comprised of more than 400 personnel, including medical providers, security managers and food service personnel. The command essentially functions as a role 3 hospital, designed to provide in-theater hospitalization with up to 150 beds and able to perform similar health care facility functions wherever EMF 150 Alpha is set up.
NMRTC Camp Pendleton is comprised predominantly of military members who support Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton. The command supports overall Navy and Marine Corps readiness by training military command members to ensure they are ready to deploy and provide medical support to various operational Navy and Marine units deployed, ashore or at sea.
Navy Medicine – represented by more than 44,000 highly-trained military and civilian health care professionals – provides enduring expeditionary medical support to the warfighter on, below, and above the sea, and ashore.
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.
Borja serves a Navy that operates far forward, around the world and around the clock, promoting the nation’s prosperity and security.
“Serving in the Navy has a lot of meaning to me,” Borja said. “As a hospital corpsman, I help take care of others and ensure they have a speedy recovery. This is something I always wanted to do, to work in the medical field and make a difference in people’s lives, and I am proud to be doing just that!”
Borja is grateful to others for helping make a Navy career possible.
“I want to thank both my parents and brother for their love and support,” Borja said. “They have been my rock. I have been away more years than I have been close, and they are always there for me to count on. I aim to make them proud every day. I also want to thank my best friend, Ashley Goodman, for always being a phone call away. She may not have known, but there have been many times that those calls made an impact on me to keep going.”