A self-proclaimed “military brat,” Maine Alpha Amanda DeBaker lived in various places because of her father’s job in the U.S. Army. Amanda grew up on a military base, and base living is a family tradition for her, with a dad in the Army and a grandfather who served as a Navy Corpsman. Because of this, Amanda always knew she, too, would join the military. So after high school, Amanda deferred her entrance to University of Maine (UM) to participate in boot camp and military training.

So what motivated Amanda to join the Navy? “One thing I notice is that once you put a uniform on, it does not matter where you come from,” says Amanda, “It’s a unifying factor, an even playing field.” She thrives form the military mentality of equality and fairness. For Amanda, military life is a lot of fun and she enjoys the family feeling that being with her fellow servicemen provides her.

A lot of her desire to serve our country comes from her parents, who instilled a good work ethic and good set of values in Amanda. “They always made sure I held up my end in whatever I was doing,” Amanda says. She remembers her dad saying things like “Finish it up,” “Get it done” or “Finish what you start” as ways to motivate her as a child. And because of this, integrity is a huge personality trait in many of Amanda’s family members.

Amanda is currently enrolled at UM and is a U.S. Navy Reservist. In her role as a reservist, she participates in “Drill” one weekend a month and two weeks a year around New England. At drill, Amanda does administrative training and operational training specific to the job she holds. After Amanda obtains her bachelor’s degree from UM in 2019, she hopes to receive her commission in the U.S. Navy.