After his peers went on separate paths after high school, Ensign Parin Patel ‘20 continues to embark on his own journey through life, now with an assignment with the U.S. Navy. With interest in the aviation industry since he was young, Patel completed his training for the Navy and is now a Naval officer. Like many other EHS alumni, he reflects on his experience in high school and the choices that got him where he is today.

EE: Were you a part of any extracurricular activities during your time at EHS? How did those activities positively impact your life outside of academics?

PP: Orchestra & Engineering with Mr. Balewitz. They both brought out my creative side of me and made me explore different types of fields out there besides being stuck with a paper and pencil all day.

EE: What were your favorite moments during your time at EHS?

PP: I made some favorite moments that were made in a span of 4 years. One of them was during sophomore year where changes, both academically and personally, were happening and it made the year dynamic with a lot of good memories.

EE: What have you enjoyed about your current time in the Navy?

PP: I’ve only been in the Navy for a couple months now, but that is not to say that I’ve not experienced quite a lot in just a short time! The most enjoyable moments thus far came from our interactions with the senior enlisted and officers and hearing them share their insights on leadership lessons. These folks are the ones we as junior officers rely on to make the right choices in order to ensure the safety of everyone in our unit and I cannot thank them enough for letting us hear their stories during their times in service.

EE: How did you handle the transition from EHS to the Navy? Was it easy or a struggle, a mixture of both?

PP: After EHS, I went to college at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) to study Aerospace Engineering. From there, it is quite a long story as to how I became a Naval Officer. Let’s just say, I had to take every opportunity (even menial ones) around me in order to strategically lay out a career path. I wouldn’t say the transition was easy nor a struggle, but every step of the way taught me the smallest of lessons that can be applied to big tasks I would need to accomplish later on.

EE: In what ways did your experiences at EHS help you navigate your future?

PP: The importance of high school did not really hit me until my senior year and even after. Experiencing high school made me realize that having a timely schedule for everything is crucial in order to want to achieve an objective in life. In my senior year, two AP courses that I took really challenged me to think like a future engineer and officer. With that, I want to express my gratitude towards both Mrs. Diane Frey (English Language & Composition) and Mrs. Lynn Harris (Calculus AB) for teaching me how to approach problems on paper to later apply it in real life.

EE: What kind of challenges did you face in high school? How did you deal with them?

PP: In high school, I wasn’t always the smartest nor talented person in a classroom or other social setting; this is what caused me not being able to fit in like so many other people around me. I want to say that this is because I had interests in things that did not come as pleasing to the folks around me, e.g. flight dynamics & control and air traffic control.

EE: Do you have any regrets about your time in high school? If so, how did you use these regrets to bolster your time now?

PP: I wish that during high school, I had actually taken electives that would have helped me in college and in my job now. Don’t get me wrong, orchestra was fantastic and, somewhat selfishly, I felt special for being one of only four people that played the largest instrument: double bass! However, doing this elective for three years was probably not the smartest idea since I had no intention of going into performing arts. It was not until the start of my senior year that I switched into a technical elective when I was getting ready to apply for colleges. These regrets helped me learn how to think for the long run, rather than short-term gratification. This kind of thinking is absolutely valid when working for a personal goal.

EE: Was the military always the field you intended to work in? If not, what else interested you, and what caused you to change your mind?

PP: Yes and no. Since the start of middle school, I’ve always envisioned being the first person to serve in my family, but I was never really serious about that goal until the start of college. Simultaneous to this goal, I wanted to work in aviation, specifically designing airplanes and flying them. When I found out that serving in the military leads to opportunities afterwards, and aviation being one of the ones on to make this list, I structured a preliminary path, then a detailed one as to how this career path would work out.

EE: What advice would you give to current EHS students and those interested in joining the Navy?

PP: Be open to EVERY opportunity you find to lead and make yourself useful. You never know when exactly in your life the skills you learn and helping other people during times of need, will come back to reward you. I learned this the hard way, but I am glad I realized this sooner rather than much later. For anyone interested in joining the Navy or any other branch, I can safely say that it is a wonderful opportunity for all the young men and women in today’s generation. You get to serve besides the finest people in this nation and you will learn something new everyday from the people around you. So I advise those that are thinking about joining to think very seriously about it, and if you have the option…sign up!