GREAT LAKES (NNS) – Fireman Apprentice Kahmelakaith Solano graduated as one of top six award winning Sailors from Recruit Training Command (RTC), earning the Navy League Award July 25, 2024.

Solano, from San Diego, California, said she enlisted for a variety of reasons, including the opportunity to alter her career path.

“After high school I wanted to be an EMT or a firefighter, but when I started taking the courses I realized I was unhappy and started to question if that was what I really wanted to do,” Solano said. “I just wasn’t motivated to continue, and when I started looking into the Navy, I realized I could change the direction of my life. The Navy will provide me with the opportunity to learn a skill I can make a career out of while also allowing me to serve my country at the same time. It’s something that I and my family can be proud of.”

Solano, 21, graduated from Mira Mesa High School, where she was a member of the varsity badminton and wrestling teams. After high school, she attended Miramar Community College.

The Navy League Award is presented to the graduating recruit whose enthusiasm, supportive attitude, and willingness to help others during their training period exceeds Navy training standards. The award places her at the pinnacle of today’s newest Sailors.

The award, according to Solano, is the best possible first step to start her naval career.

“When I won the award, I was in complete shock. Out of all the recruits that are here, I didn’t think there was any way that I’d be one of the top six. I made mistakes and was by no means perfect. I didn’t have a lot of confidence in myself when I arrived here, and because of that I tried to concentrate on just being a better version of myself. I did my best to learn as much as I could and have a positive attitude toward the whole experience. The successful outcome is something I’ll remember and try to apply to other situations I encounter as I move forward in my naval career.”

Prior to basic military training, Solano completed the Future Sailor Prep Course (Academic). This three-week course improves recruit performance before basic military training through building basic math and verbal skills with the goal of increasing ASVAB score. Future Sailors who improve their scores are given the opportunity to reclassify into high-priority ratings and fill critic roles in the Navy.

“I was so grateful for the experience. Originally, I qualified as an Aviation Ordnanceman (AO). It wasn’t a bad job, but what I really wanted was to qualify for Gas Turbine Technician Mechanical (GSM). I took a chance and enrolled in the program so I could improve my score and hopefully reclassify. I was highly motivated to succeed and did my best to focus on making the most of all the resources I was being given. As long as you use your time wisely and focus on learning as much as you can each day, it’s possible to succeed. It’s something I would recommend for anyone who has language barriers or who lacks confidence academically like I did.”

Solano’s RDCs (Recruit Division Commanders) are Chief Personnel Specialist (PSC) Dwayne Messam, Sonar Technician Submarine 1st Class (STS1) Jason Anderson and Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class (HM2) Rachel Belew. The trust they built with Solano as they guided her through the 10-week process was instrumental in her success.

“Since the day I transferred from Future Sailor Prep to my division, Chief Messam was the RDC who pushed me and motivated me to be better each day,” she said. “He never treated me with any disrespect and always tried to get the best out of me no matter what the situation was. When I saw that he had all this confidence in me and went to great lengths to teach me and help me grow, all I wanted to do was make him proud. I’m really thankful for all that I was able to learn.”

During her basic military training, Solano said her biggest challenge was learning how to communicate effectively with such a wide range of people.

“Everything you do in boot camp is a team effort,” Solano said. “A big part of doing well here is communicating and learning to work with each other. I wasn’t really used to that, and there were times when I struggled. But like anything else, the more we all worked at it, the easier it became. By the end of our training, you could see how much we’d bonded and became stronger as a unit as a result.”

After graduation, Solano will attend Gas Turbine Technician Mechanical “A” School in Great Lakes, Illinois, where she will learn gas turbine engine theory, propulsion machinery, digital logical control systems, power distribution, and more.

Training at RTC is approximately 10 weeks, and all enlistees in the U.S. Navy begin their careers at the command. More than 40,000 Recruits train annually at the Navy’s only boot camp.