Reservist Magazine is the award-winning official publication of the United States Coast Guard Reserve. Quarterly issues include news and feature articles about the men and women who comprise America's premier national maritime safety and security
Issue link: https://uscgreservist.epubxp.com/i/709956
Eager to Exceed the Expected Story by PA3 Jourdin Bego, 7th District Public Affairs Being a military reservist requires an exceptional level of dedication and commitment. Managing two careers and a home life can create a tenuous balancing act. Preparing and maintaining two uniforms, scheduling appointments or meetings around both jobs and often traveling long distances to a duty station, demands dedication. It means giving up personal time and being away from family and friends. In short, coordinating two jobs with a personal life will quickly become complicated if the reservist is not organized, methodical and committed. Petty Officer 3rd Class Amanda L. Matos, a reservist at Coast Guard Station Georgetown, South Carolina, has equipped herself with the character traits needed to make it all work. She recently became a police officer at the Mount Pleasant Police Department in Mount Pleasant, allowing her to enforce the law beyond her normal on the water service with the Coast Guard. During her time at the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy, Matos excelled in her police studies. Upon completing the academy on March 25, 2016, Matos was awarded the JP Strom award, an award in South Carolina, given to the top academic performer in each class. Matos maintained a 96 percent GPA throughout her time at the academy. "Nothing helped me prepare for it," said Matos. "I studied hard and used flashcards. I measured my flashcards at the end of the academy, the stack measured seven-inches tall." Life at the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy requires a full-time commitment from their students for 12 weeks. The difficult environment included early mornings, long classroom days, weekly tests, driving courses, shooting practice, field tests, all while separated from her husband. Despite the strenuous conditions of the academy, Matos decided she would take on Rese R vist Magazine s hip M ates in Focus o fficer a manda Matos, center, proudly displays her J.P. Strom a ward for academic excellence. 46 RESERVIST � Issue 3 • 2016