St. Paul native serves with U.S. Navy in Norfolk
Oct. 7—Katherine Evans, a native of St. Paul, Indiana, serves the U.S. Navy assigned to Naval Computer and Telecommunications Area Master Station Atlantic.
Evans graduated from Waldron High School in 1991.
The skills and values needed to succeed in the Navy and as a Department of Defense civilian are similar to those found in St. Paul.
"Growing up in St. Paul, I learned early on that hard work and dedication will take you places, and the same is true in the Navy and in the civilian world," Evans, who retired from the Navy after serving as a yeoman for 20 years and now serves as an administrative officer at Master Station Atlantic, said.
Evans remembers well why she joined the Navy all those years ago.
"I joined the Navy because I knew there was more to the world than the cornfields of Indiana, and I wanted to see it," she said.
Master Station Atlantic's mission is to operate and defend responsive, resilient, and secure computer and telecommunications systems, providing information superiority for global maritime and joint forces.
With 90% of global commerce traveling by sea and access to the internet relying on the security of undersea fiber optic cables, Navy officials continue to emphasize that the prosperity of the United States is directly linked to recruiting and retaining talented people from across America.
Evans has many opportunities to achieve accomplishments during her military service.
"I am most proud that I was able to see my career through to retirement," she said. "When I joined, my father told me I would never make it; I proved him wrong."
Evans takes pride in serving America through military service.
"Serving in the Navy means being a part of something bigger," she said. "Anyone can get a job, but serving with so many friends and shipmates gives a great sense of satisfaction."
She's also grateful to others for helping make a Navy career possible.
"I want to thank my first leading petty officer on the ship, retired Yeoman1st Class Cynthia McGinnis," she said. "She was fierce and determined as a woman to make it during a time when many women weren't even serving. I still enjoy working around the sailors and I couldn't imagine doing anything else."
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