Hospital Corpsman Second Class Ashlyn Sanders finds her work aboard Naval Health Clinic Cherry Point meaningful because of the impact she and her team have on base and local communities.
Sanders, the clinic’s Sailor of the Year for 2024, serves as the Leading Petty Officer of the Preventative Medicine Department.
Sailor of the Year honors recognize mid-career Sailors who exhibit a high level of proficiency in their skills and leadership while continuing to prepare themselves for leadership at higher levels of their rank and grade.
“Sailor of the Year was not just about my accomplishments, but also the accomplishments of my team,” said Sanders, a native of Anchorage, Alaska. “Without them, I would not have been able to accomplish half of what I did and they encourage me every day to be better.”
Sanders leads a team of Sailors responsible for monitoring the health safety of service members and civilians who live and work aboard Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point. Her team’s duties aboard the base range from measuring the mosquito population aboard base to conducting food safety inspections at vendor establishments.
“What I enjoy most about working here [at the clinic] are the people I work with. There are so many motivated junior and senior Sailors who I learn from and, in turn, hopefully they are learning something from me,” said Sanders.
Sanders prepared for the Sailor of the Year Board by helping junior Sailors prepare for theirs. She held mock boards, querying them on a variety of topics including naval history, current events, policies and regulations. In conducting those mentoring sessions, Sanders reinforced her own knowledge.
“Surround yourself with likeminded Sailors who have achieved or want to achieve the same things as you,” she advises those junior to her. “Do the right things for the right reasons, always. The accolades and recognition will come when we do the things that are meaningful and right.”