By Gary Salazar
Have you heard this quote from Calvin Coolidge before?
Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not: nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan “press on” has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.
I first saw it listed on the USS Kitty Hawk’s POD Plan of the Day (POD). It sat at the very top of the first page, reminding everyone of a direct line to achievement. Every sailor, marine, and ship’s guest who checked that POD was fed this quote, every day. Everyone, no matter where they worked or when they worked,Image may be NSFW.
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saw that quote, every day. And they worked long hours every day. There’s no 9-5 job on an aircraft carrier. There is little down time. The daily routine was work, eat, sleep, work, and repeat … 24 hours a day.
Somehow, a handful of the ship’s company managed to go to school during a deployment–at night or day, it didn’t matter. Any scant free time was given to working on overdue assignments, writing essays, doing research papers, finding answers to questions. There were plenty of challenges, the biggest being the ship’s operational routine that revved up and down as needed, preventing them from getting into their class for a week or two. Falling behind was normal, then catching up only to fall behind again, repeat; grades suffered, frustration ruled.
They got less sleep than most of us, they missed meals, eating on the go. Every one of them had families or loved ones back home, money concerns, health issues in their families, and problems like the rest of us. Somehow, they managed to meet their jobs’ requirements,including the daily add-in of all those additional duties (standing four- to eight-hour watches, inspections, swabbing the decks or cleaning their spaces, repairing their uniforms, updating their records, etc). Eight-and-a-half months later, following an exhaustive deployment, three of these sailors received their associate degrees. They gathered for a small ceremony on the flight deck with their shipmates and their families.
Congratulations were offered, back-slapping and jostling occurred, mothers beamed. Families were happy.
When asked how they achieved this personal milestone, they all agreed that it was a daily and weekly struggle, one that was frustrating and demanding of them. They each said they had almost quit on several occasions.
But they didn’t quit on themselves nor on others who believed in them.
Determination ruled … and with a chug of persistence they got there.
As the Associate Dean of Academic and Student Affairs at Bryan University, Gary Salazar has counseled and supported countless students on their way to academic and professional success. He may be reached via email at gary.salazar@bryanuniversity.edu.
Founded in 1940, Bryan University offers revolutionary degrees for evolutionary futures in health and legal services, providing students with an exceptional education and lifetime career services. For more information, visit www.bryanuniversity.edu.
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