Depew High School senior has a jumpstart on her future as a member of the Oklahoma National Guard.

Vick joined the National Guard and attended and completed her basic training between her junior and senior years. Vick said her decision was based on several factors.

“I decided to join to keep it in my family as a tradition, and I was the first female in my family to join so it meant a lot to me,” said Vick. “I was going to do the Air Force first, but I changed my mind with the help of SSG Wesley Williams.”

The recruiting process was made easy thanks to her recruiter.

“The recruiting process was a piece of cake. SSG Williams was a great help making everything a step-by- step process,” said Vick.

Today Vick is preparing for her senior year at Depew High School where she is involved in many activities.

“I’m a senior in high school at Depew and I am involved in cheer and in FFA. I love shooting archery, showing pigs, and welding in Ag,” said Vick.

Now that basic training is behind her, Vick will serve with a unit in Ada, Oklahoma and will work as an 88M or Motor Transport Operator. Once she has completed high school, Vick plans to use her educational benefits in college.

“I plan on attending OSU in Oklahoma City to get my EMT license and work my way up to being a flight medic,” said Vick.

The biggest question she gets is, “how hard was basic training?”

“Basic training was stressful at first, getting used to new people and being away from family was definitely hard for me, but after getting used to that it was easy. The drill Sergeants were great at teaching us to becoming great soldiers,” said Vick. “I recommend joining the U.S. Army, Army Reserves, active, or National Guard. They are all great. I’m glad I joined at the age 17, it made training a lot easier since I was fit before leaving for basic!”