Senior Spotlight: Ian Williams


For the final week of our senior spotlight, we are highlighting Ian Williams from Waukee High School!

Following in the footsteps of his relatives, Ian will be joining the Army National Guard after his upcoming graduation. Ian has always dreamt of going into the military for many years, so it only seemed right to follow through with his childhood goals. 

Ian dedicated a large amount of time researching what joining the military would entail to better prepare himself for his next steps. 

“When I started to learn more about the military and the MOS (Military Occupational Specialty), it got me more engaged and motivated to get into the military,” Ian shares. 

Although it was very clear that Ian was always interested in joining the military, he was unsure of what branch he wanted to join. He was initially interested in joining the Marines, but ultimately chose the National Guard after talking to his recruiter.

“I like how the [National] Guard was able to give me the part-time benefit of being in the military, while also being able to live a civilian life,” he says. 

Ian has the opportunity to master several duties while being in the infantry, and he has already obtained lots of experience thus far. 

“In the military, jobs are referred to by your MOS. My MOS is an 11B, which is an infantryman. Training for infantrymen consists of mastering different weapons systems, studying movements of troops, and other skills such as navigation. Although I will be doing much more weapons training in my AIT (Advanced Individual Training), there is much more to my job, but some aspects I cannot get into,” Ian explains.

Ian would advise any high schooler who is potentially looking to join the military to establish goals and work hard to achieve them. He found it most helpful to thoroughly study different options and choose the path that will best help you succeed.

“Study. Decide what your goal in the military is and what job you may want to get into and decide from there which branch is the best fit for you. In complete honesty, I didn’t know much about the army when I enlisted. I didn’t know about the Army values, the training, or more ‘high speed’ aspects such as the Rangers or Airborne. I wish I would have looked more into what the Army offered,” he states. 

Additionally, Ian offers insight to all high school students and encourages them to stay motivated through all of their hardships. 

“Overall, my advice to high school students is to stay on track. Sort out your priorities and make sure those are done first before you focus on other aspects of your life.” 

Congratulations Ian, and good luck in the Army National Guard!