Jennifer Power is one summer away from becoming a full-certified maritime surface and sub-surface officer within the Military Marine Operations.
For Centretown resident Jennifer Power, this is just one day of the rest of her life.
Her heartbeat outpaces her adrenaline as her thoughts scamper.
Waves continue to convulse her nerves, reminding her that she is on a ship, far from civilization.
The Canadian flag is stitched on her body, protected by her soul. Fear diffuses through her essence, but her posture remains proper, her face stringent.
The pressure toys with her emotions as she looks adversity in the eye and winks.
Power, a member of the Canadian Navy and student at Carleton University, has the gift of overcoming hardship and pursuing success – no matter how large the obstacle.
Power’s first obstacle came at birth, being a product of teenage pregnancy.
“My mom was 16 years old when she had me and my twin sister,” says Power. “My father was a drug addict who stayed away.”
But the twins faced unimaginable circumstances – this time it was from Power’s home front.
Her twin sister, Jackie, was diagnosed with cancer.
With the will to put her family first, Power left her navy training early to be with her twin.
She turned down a teaching assistant position, a full-time job, the social vice-president of two clubs as well as her honours research project and replaced it with online courses, so she can attend every one of her sister’s chemo sessions.
Not to mention she has to take a course overload next semester in order to graduate on time.
“Life is what you make it,” says Power. “Not what it makes of you.”
Power and her sister went through childhood hearing the same rehashed request – go to university.
Self-motivated and ambitious, the athletically-built teen was determined to comply with her mother’s request.
“Jenn is very ambitious, has set goals, and works at getting them,” says Chantal Lavalley, a high school friend of Power’s. “She’s the kind of person who held everyone and everything together.”
But at 18 years old and on the cusp of post-secondary education, finances became an issue. Power’s family had enough money to get by, but nothing saved for school.
“My mother always had the expectation for me to go to university,” says Power, cracking a smile, as her white teeth complimented her tan skin. “The military was my ticket.”
Taking life into her own hands, Power applied to the Canadian Forces.
Training and studying, while building volunteer experience, Power put herself through the vigorous applications process to join the military.
She passed the aptitude, medical and a fitness tests, completed the multi-staged interview process, all while getting accepted to a reputable Canadian university.
“My personality type fit the mold of what they want officers to be,” says Power.
According to the military, one must possess strong leadership qualities, command presence, be aggressive and assertive, think quickly, be motivated and athletic.
“All the skills I had turned out to work out perfectly for this job,” says Power. “Thank god I was good enough for it.”
Powers’ hard work and perseverance saved her a seat in the classroom, fulfilling the dream set for her as a child.
The fourth-year criminology student is the recipient of a fully funded tuition, including academic extras like textbooks and a computer.
The Somerset Street resident also gets a salary of $700 every two weeks, a paid annual vacation, full medical and dental benefits, while getting her degree from an accredited university.
“I got full ride to any university I wanted to go to,” she says. “And all of a sudden I was getting this cheque from the department of national defense.”
Power admits that if she had not applied for the Canadian Forces, she would still be working to save for school.
But while at Carleton, she is making a name for herself.
“Jenn is one of the hardest working people I’ve ever met,” says Megan O’Leary, a Carleton university student and a colleague of Power’s. “She’s got a lot going for her.”
Aspiring to be a lawyer, Power has maintained above-average marks, placing her on Carleton’s scholarship radar and inking her name on the Dean’s List.
But as she knows very well, nothing in life is free.
After graduation Power is required to serve two months for every month of school that the military pays for.
“The Canadian Forces have giving me so much that I will give them five hard earned years in any job they want me in,” says Power. “I will enjoy it and do it to the best of my ability.”
As a natural born leader, Power has chosen to specialize in navy training.
She spends her summers training on physical and intellectual fronts, preparing to give back to her country.
The 22-year-old is one summer away from being a full-certified maritime surface and sub-surface officer (MARS).
She is responsible for the coordination, control and command of ships within the Military Maritime Operations.
“Basically I stand in the position of a captain on the ship,” she says. “I’m guiding the ship and giving orders all the time.”
Shadowing theses responsibilities is lots pressure and intense training – two things Power thrives on.
“The biggest problems in the navy are fire and floods on a ship,” she says.
“So I had to go to damage control school and learn how to be firefighter, and learn flood control.”
Power’s hard work and innate ability to lead has not only put her in control of her own life, but in control of others.
“I have the say as to what to do if anything goes wrong,” she says. “There’s lots of pressure commanding a ship.”
But once again, Power embraces the challenge.
“Jenn is one of the people I look up to in the military,” says Josh Brighton, a member of MARS. “She is a shinning example of a mentor and a leader.”
The future officer describes the military as her vehicle for self-actualization, giving her an advantage, something she is not used to.
“Right now, I’m in my fourth year of university, with no worry about applying to jobs, or my interview process or competing with other people,” she says. “My job is planned out for me, it's there and I know exactly how much I’m going to be making.”
Believing in the beauty of her dreams has allowed Power to control her own destiny.
But even the most ambitious, hard-working people can’t sway life’s plan.
“Her twin sister is struggling with cancer, she’s juggling school, and has the rest of her life on her mind,” says Brighton. “Jenn is showing true Jenn as she is faced with adversity.”