Free State senior Jake Rogers will be flying tankers after he graduates.

While some students choose to attend college or join the workforce after graduation, Rogers, senior TJ Everett and senior Taylor Ardong have chosen a different path.

    One of many motivations for Rogers to join the Air Force was his family.

    “Both of my parents were in the International Guard,” Rogers said. “So that was a pretty big incentive to join.”

    But Rogers isn’t joining to please his parents. He wants to feed his personal interests as well.

“I have always wanted to be a pilot and I have loved planes ever since I was little,” Rogers said.

    Students in service are also given attractive education opportunities.  Rogers will attend The University of Kansas for college while working one weekend a month at the International Guard in Topeka.

    “[The Air Force] also pays for college,”  Rogers said. “That was pretty big motivation [for joining].”

    Senior TJ Everett was motivated to help others after he ran into a car on a bike.

    “I think about two years ago during the summer after I had the accident, I just  got thinking about the Emergency Medical Service,” Everett said.

    His accident steered him toward pursuing a career as a firefighter.  He has since dreamt of his future career.

    “I have thought about being a firefighter a lot and some of my dreams have to do with being a firefighter,” Everett said.

    Everett says that training to be a firefighter is simply taking college courses, and classes such as math are still requirements.

  “I’m going to go through training for three years before I can [serve as a firefighter],” Everett said. “I guess I am going to go through training to become a firefighter and then a fire administrator and then do EMS training.”

    Everett wants to train as a firefighter to protect the citizens of his community.

     “I’m just looking for a nice way to serve the community and also have a job that is pretty flexible,” Everett said.  “You get to bond with a lot of people and make a difference in people’s lives.”

    While Everett is working locally, Ardong will be working to make a difference in other parts of the globe.

    Ardong was inspired by a trip to Thailand through the Global Leadership Adventures program to join the Peace Corps.

“We volunteered at multiple orphanages and we helped children in need and we taught them English,” Ardong said.

Joining the Peace Corps often means years away from home, but Ardong was not deterred.

“I don’t mind,” Ardong said.  “I love traveling.”

Ardong was also not intimidated by the likelihood of poor living conditions.

“We didn’t live under good housing and I was okay with that,” Ardong said about her month long visit to Thailand over the summer.  “Traveling to Thailand has really helped me get a new outlook on the world.”

Although training for the Armed Forces, Fire Department, or Peace Corps right out of college is not the expected route, these choices are worthy alternatives to a traditional college experience.