When 2nd Lt. Jessica Giusti enlisted in the Corps in 2006, and began taking college courses the next year, she faced the same uncertainty many students confront every day. Giusti had no idea what she wanted to study. Yet, instead of seeing her undecided status as reason to put off college, she saw it as an opening for many opportunities.

The Minnesota native joined the Corps at 17 following her high school graduation. Within five years, she earned a bachelor’s degree in business management and master’s degree in international business administration from Park University in Parkville, Mo. It’s an achievement not credited to goal setting, rather to commitment.

“I went through school faster than I was able to make a decision on what I wanted to do, but I had to just commit and it worked out,” Giusti said. “Now, I realize that you don’t have to know exactly what you want to be when you grow up to be successful, because it’s likely that [your goals] will change.”

Although Giusti began her education journey without an “end game,” taking only basic humanities courses, she was determined earn a degree. While working toward that goal, Giusti also rose through the ranks and became a staff sergeant, serving as an instructor aboard Marine Detachment Corry Station in Pensacola, Fl.  In July, she graduated from The Basic School and is slated to attend the Navy and Marine Corps Intelligence Training Center at the beginning of the year for signals intelligence officer training.

As a future intelligence officer, Giusti said having a college education equips her to be a strong leader with a broader perspective of the world.

“Having a master’s degree in international business has opened me up to a lot of different concepts, including, understanding how different cultures, classes, races and genders interact.” Giusti said. “When you couple that with my Marine Corps experience I think it will definitely help with my future mission. However, I think as a leader, regardless of which degree you accomplish, education increases your ability to research, write and communicate, which are all skills that are applicable to a Marine Corps career.”

Writer: afelton@quanticosentryonline.com