Conquering fears
By Samantha Cotten | Editor-in-chief
I finally know how to swim.
In the Army, everyone is always a motivator. There is no time for whining or complaining. You believe you can do anything, and it’s true. I can do anything. I joined the Army not knowing how to swim, and now I can keep myself from drowning.
I can do anything.
Sere “FiFi” Conde, a University of Indianapolis junior linguistics major and private in the United States National Guard, began her military journey only a few months ago.
I was born in the country of Guinea in West Africa.
I lived in Guinea for 14 years before my family moved to the United States to join my mother. I attended a year of middle school and all of high school in the states.
In high school I decided to join the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC), mostly because I love physical activity. ROTC gave me a ‘taste of the water’ you might say. The program showed me a different side of the army.
Conde decided to join ROTC at the collegiate level last semester through UIndy’s partnership with IUPUI.
Before I joined the National Guard, my mother went back and forth between being fully supportive of me and having some reservations. We went through many recruiters, and finally we decided on the guard since it worked best with my schooling. Finally my mother was like “Ok, fine! You can join!” Now she is extremely happy and very proud.I have always wanted to be a soldier.
I have always wanted the respect and honor that a soldier gets from their community, and I am finally fulfilling that dream.
Conde attended Leaders Training Course (LTC) in Fort Knox, Ky. She spent a full month living in barracks with her drill sergeants and trainers.
When I got to LTC, I hated it. I hated getting up at 4:30 a.m., or even sometimes 3:45 a.m. The drill sergeants were out to make our lives miserable. I couldn’t swim and I was afraid of heights, yet everyone kept telling me that I could do anything.
I now know that I CAN do anything. I learned how to be a rifle marksman and how to repel. Now, I’ve conquered my fear of heights and I know how to swim (well enough at least!) Everyone says I’m a repelling junkie.
I had the chance to meet people from all over. I even met someone from Hawaii, a place I dream of visiting. There is a huge sense of brotherhood, or sisterhood if you will, about being in the Army.
There is always someone there for you when you need them.
When I got back home, LTC stuck with me. Without wanting to, I would wake up at 4:30 a.m. for like three weeks. Because I was up I would just start doing physical training, and my mother would be like “What are you doing?! It’s so early!”
Conde’s next challenge will be attending Leaders Development Assessment Course (LDAC). Once she graduates from the course, Conde will be promoted to Second Lieutenant. She will not be required to attend basic training.
Once I graduate college, I want to have a career in the Army. With my linguistics degree, I will be able to travel all over the world to speak with people from everywhere. I would love to go back to Africa during my travels – I mean, it is my motherland!
Though Conde was humble about her military experience while telling her story, her face expressed her pride in herself as a soldier and her pride in her country. With only a few months of military experience under her belt, Conde is excited about the future opportunities that await her in her career with the National Guard.
The Army has given me a whole new sense of confidence. I now have the ability to try new things, because I know I can handle it. I learned how to do so many things in LTC, and I have so much more to learn.
I can do anything.
