High school students from all over the country who are looking at a possible career with the government listened to Navy officers, who shared their experience in the military and answered questions, at a gathering at the Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, on May 8.

Service members from various backgrounds of the Navy (surface warfare officers, aviators, and intelligence officers, among others) made up the Close Up Foundation’s Department of Defense Panel at the Women In Military Service For America Memorial, which interacted with more than 140 students from high schools in the United States.

Participating students came from Michigan, Connecticut, Florida, Arizona, Washington, Minnesota, Vermont, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and South Dakota. They asked the service members about the budget, warfare systems, overseas conflicts, personnel policies, and deployments – as well as how service members balance work and family life.

The gathering allowed the service members to have a candid discussion with the students. Among those who made up the panel was Lt. Allison Maas, who is involved with ship design at the Pentagon, and volunteered to represent the Navy at the weekly DoD panel.

Maas shared: “The students were from all over the country and have a variety of different career interests… While they may not join the service after high school, my time with them was invaluable. It was an opportunity of a lifetime to sit down with these future leaders to talk with them about what my life has been like in the Navy. I hope they left the panel with a better understanding of their Navy.”