ETS participants are selected from around the nation and include education professionals such as superintendents, principals, professors, and teachers. Those participants can then go aboard a U.S. navy ship and embark with the vessel and its crew for 24 hours. Educators then take what they learned and experienced and help educate the public on the Navy's mission.
It also acts as an essential tool for Navy recruiting.
Fire Controlman 1st Class Colenan Kirn, an officer recruiter assigned to Navy Talent Acquisition Group (NTAG) Mid America, reached out to Alajo to ask him if he would like to participate in the ETS program to which Alajo did not hesitate to agree to.
"When Petty Officer Kirn told me about the ETS program, I knew it was an experience I had to do," said Alajo.
Alajo, an associate professor of nuclear engineering and the interim chair of the nuclear engineering and radiation science department at Missouri University of Science & Technology, was a prime candidate for ETS. Thanks to his education, background, and position, he could help NTAG Mid America recruit students into the Navy's Nuclear Propulsion Officer Candidate (NUPOC) program.
The NUPOC program, primarily geared toward students already pursuing an undergraduate degree, gives them the chance to become a nuclear propulsion officer while getting paid to complete their degree. Once they're accepted into the program, they'll receive a monthly salary of over $4,000, an immediate one-time sign-on bonus of $15,000, military healthcare, and zero military duties while in college.
"It's a wonderful program for students," said Alajo. "They get paid to go to college, and then they're guaranteed a job in the nuclear field right after graduation. So I like to tell them, and prospective students, all about it."
Nuclear power is a significant component and fuel source for the Navy. So as luck would have it, Alajo, who specializes in nuclear engineering, got to fly out to one of the Navy's finest nuclear-powered vessels – the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) – where it was conducting routine operations in the Pacific Ocean.
Upon climbing out of the plane and stepping foot onto the flight deck was when the experience really hit him.
"I quickly realized that the Nimitz is more than just a vessel," said Alajo. "It's an environment. There's a whole other level of work and activity going on to accomplish so many operations. Everyone is responsible for everyone else and their safety."
While on the flight deck, Alajo also noticed something interesting about the Sailors, most notably what they were wearing and how they were communicating with one another.
"It was fascinating to see that everyone had a different color-coded jacket," said Alajo. "The yellow ones were the ones directing the aircraft. The green ones did maintenance. The purple ones refueled the aircraft. There are all these colors and also an abundance of hand signals. Everything was so in sync and seamless. So, taking all of that in within the little time I was already on the ship was quite impressive."
While aboard the carrier, he met with the Nimitz leadership, interacted with the crew, toured various spaces and locations on the ship, and observed flight operations.
"I was able to see and understand all the roles people play on the ship," said Alajo. "Being a civilian, I never really thought of ships having, for instance, doctors. But seeing them there totally made sense because people can get sick or get injured while on deployment. Then there are the little things, such as the MCs who decide what movies get played to the crew. It's small compared to everything going on but just as important because it keeps the crew's morale high. So, seeing all the different skill sets and how everything flows and works together allowed me to appreciate and understand how the Navy continues to sustain itself and operate effectively."
The embark also provided Alajo a chance to talk to young men and women similar in age to his students.
"Having the opportunity to meet with and speak with all the young people on board was great," said Alajo. "Just being able to ask them about their goals and future plans gave me a perspective into military life and allowed me to understand what my students should expect, especially if they have questions about the Navy and the NUPOC program. And if one of my students is interested in joining the Navy, I tell them that they have to be 100% committed because Sailors need to have a certain level of responsibility, training, selflessness, and trust to succeed."
Aside from seeing how Sailors worked together, Alajo also noticed the amount of sacrifice needed to be a Sailor in the U.S. Navy.
"It's not just a matter of sacrificing their time," said Alajo. "It's also, to a certain extent, sacrificing a certain level of comfort. Sailors have to sacrifice things like their personal space and 'me time,' among other things. It's truly remarkable and humbling to see as a bystander."
Alajo wasn't the only educator who traveled to the Nimitz. He was accompanied by 15 other educators, most of whom were middle school and high school educators.
"I enjoyed speaking with the other educators in my ETS group," said Alajo. "Mostly because they're in charge of bringing up students to go to college, which is where I'm at. So, with this pipeline and network between us, it's a great thing to leverage, especially to get the very best students into the Navy. That would not only benefit the Navy, but it would also benefit the student, us, and the nation."
With so many things to see and do and people to talk to in one day, it was difficult for Alajo to decide on his favorite part of the embark.
"It's hard to pin down my favorite part about the ETS program," said Alajo. "One of them was seeing the orchestration of flight operations, especially for launching aircraft. There are all these safety checks and hand gestures, and then before you know it – boom – the aircraft takes off and is gone. And that cycle repeats. Seeing that level of synchronization, with people working together, not missing a beat, was amazing. I could spend an entire day watching that."
Fresh off the ship with memories and experiences to last a lifetime, Alajo wishes other educators would hop on board the ETS program.
"I would definitely recommend ETS to educators," said Alajo. "I think there's merit in understanding the quality of people the Navy brings in and watching them work with one another seamlessly. Once educators see the Navy and understand how the Navy operates, they'll be able to provide the Navy with the young adults it needs."
NTAG Mid America, part of Navy Recruiting Command, recruits the next generation of Navy Sailors throughout areas encompassing Missouri, Kansas, central and southern Illinois, and a portion of Kentucky.