Jasmine Murray

I would say definitely my mom and my dad. They gave me the best of both worlds. My mom is educated - she has two masters - so she helped me definitely with the college side. With my dad, since he's military, I would say he definitely gave me tough advice, yes, but it's real advice that he gave me while I was entering the military and while I'm still in the military. I could see both sides of the spectrum, and now I'm technically in both sides. They see it, and it's hard, but I definitely love the support that they gave me for that. They didn't restrict me to one side where it's only one or the other - it can be both, even though some people may think you can only do one or the other, and it's not true. There's things that have to be done and people that need to be helped, especially in the career field that you are in, and it will make an impact long-lasting.

I would say because you are a female, it will be hard, regardless of what sport you get into, regardless of what branch of the military you get to, even what rank you may reach in the military. It can be hard, you can let it beat you up, or you can beat it up. But I would say don't let a career suck the life out of you, and don't let anyone think just because you are a woman that you can't do what someone else can. Restrictions will be put on you, or things may be perceived on you because you are a female, but regardless of what they say or what they may think, you know what type of person you are, and you know what your goal is in that career or where you are right now, and you should stick to it and keep it that way. Just be who you are, and do the best that you can do, no matter what circumstance or whatever type of hurdle that you may come across, but you can jump over it and get across it, and to reach the goal.

I would say time management is the biggest challenge, because of course the military comes first - that's what it has to be - but also trying to fulfill what you want to do while in the military. You try not to get sucked in to basically not doing what you want to invest in to make your life better. Along with that, keeping up with the academics on top of that is challenging.

The values most important to me are ambition, resilience, and kindness. These guide how I approach both my military service and my work in sports medicine, helping me stay focused on my goals while supporting the people around me.