PORTSMOUTH, Va. — Day two of Military Dream Week takes us to the Coast Guard Base in Portsmouth.
When reaching out to the Coast Guard for a nominee, it seemed like a no-brainer when they mentioned Jazmyn Sailor. She's a local who aims to serve in every capacity.
"I'm a Yeoman in the Coast Guard, so my primary job is human resources," Sailor said as she nervously looked around at the cameras.
Sailor went on to talk about what she does for work and how she loves what she does, although it can be challenging. Sailor's nerves vanished, and her eyes lit up, though, the moment she was asked about EPIC.
"Outside of the Coast Guard, I'm involved with a non-profit called EPIC, which stands for enlisted professionals in connection," she smiled and nodded.
Through EPIC, she can reach out and connect with the community in a new way.
"My mentor in that program last year, he gave me a job of creating a youth outreach program that reaches out to cadets. I'm from Norfolk, so it was easy for me to connect with the instructors here and kind of build a program here that supports them," she went on, talking about all she does with EPIC.
Sailor is no stranger to getting involved in the military from a young age.
"I started in middle school as Navy lead cadet," she said.
"I went on to Norview High School, and I was active in their JROTC program there," she continued.
For Sailor, mentoring has been crucial in her military experience.
"I've been able to acquire mentors in the Coast Guard through EPIC and become a mentor myself. I value mentorship, and I wanted to be able to give that back to my community and to a program that raised me," she smiled.
As a local, she has a love not only for the Coast Guard, but for this community. Sailor's love isn't going unnoticed; we wanted to partner with the USO and our sponsors to recognize that.
"Well, we're doing more than just an interview," I said and smiled, as I walked away to grab $500 out of my bag.
We partnered with the USO and The Hampton Roads Honda Dealers to give Sailor a $500 visa gift card.
"Wow, thank you," she smiled.
"Thank you, we know thank you is never enough for your amazing service," I said, reaching toward our photographer, Ryan Hughes.
Ryan handed me another gift card for $500. Grace Bible Church donated this one.
"Grace Bible Church heard your story. They're locals; they love outreach and know how much you love outreach," I said.
Sailor smiled and thanked everyone there.
Jazmyn Sailor, thank you so much for your service and love for our community!