TA News

Just five years ago, Regan Covey ’17 was one of TA’s strongest athletes, named among the Valley News “Standout Athletes of the Year” in 2017. On Monday, in honor of Veterans’ Day, she returned to TA to talk about her path to and experience in the U.S. military.

Regan opened her remarks with some memories from her time at TA, from her successes in varsity soccer and basketball, to her academic challenges as a student with a learning disability. TA’s teachers, she said, were there for her every step of the way – helping her after school, between practices, and during study halls. Her hard work paid off and she was admitted to Norwich University, where she planned to study Forensic Psychology. At the time, Regan had no plans to join the military.

Her freshman year, she participated in Norwich’s ROTC program and found she liked the structure and routine. “I liked the confidence it gave me,” she shared. College was proving difficult, though, and it was becoming harder and harder to afford it. Rather than give up, Regan made the decision to enlist in the military – both to relieve the financial pressure and to find meaning through service to her community and country.

As a service member, Regan was able to finish her degree. She has been deployed overseas once and has an in-country deployment beginning next week. “I like feeling like I am giving back to the people who have done so much for me. Like my teachers, my family, my friends, the supporters of the teams I was a part of. All the people who took the time to invest in me as a person. I can give back to them in times when they need it most like natural disasters, plague, and when the nation itself is unhappy with the decisions of the government and so on.”

After her overseas deployment, Regan noted that she learned two important skills, patience and flexibility, and that the experience was an opportunity for personal growth. Though it’s not always fun or easy to be in the military, she said, “It provides a lifelong family and gives your life a different kind of purpose. It’s dedicating yourself to a part of something bigger.” She encouraged TA students who are thinking about the military to do their research and talk to others with the experience.

In closing, Regan gave this advice: “Ask all the questions, get everything in writing, and don’t be afraid. Comfort is the enemy of success.”