Army dream becomes reality

Celena Quirk doesn’t think the Army has changed her all that much, but the 2018 New Hampton High School graduate is not the same woman she was when she left for basic training this past June.She’s more confident, she’s more resolute and she’s more focused.“I think I’m the same person,” she said, “but maybe you’re right. This is something I’ve wanted to do since I was a little girl so I think I really embraced and was ready for it. I’m not going to say it was easy, but I was really focused and that helped.”And now after surviving a grueling past six months — one that included completing basic training and graduating from her Advanced Individual Training (AIT) as a combat medic — she’ll embark on another journey, that as a college student at the University of Northern Iowa.But that seed — making the military a career — planted years ago continues to germinate.— For more on this story, see the Dec. 25 New Hampton Tribune.