Future Sailor, Minnie Rodriguez, a San Antonio native, has always dreamed of joining the Navy. The 39 year old mother of two never imagined the opportunity would come one year after her son, Hospital Corpsman Seaman Robert Rodriguez Jr., joined the Navy Reserve.

Minnie grew up with her grandfather who served in the Army during WWI. Seeing his pictures and hearing his stories, influenced her early on.

"I knew I wanted to enlist some day, but I started having kids very young and I wanted to give them all that I could, so I put my plans on the back-burner," she explained.

As a college readiness coordinator for Southside High School, Minnie has plenty of experience assisting young men and women with their decision to join the military.

For the past 14 years, she worked closely with the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) program at the high school and with military recruiters who regularly visit the campus, but always kept her own dream of enlisting to herself.

As a mom, she has worked hard to help her children as well as her students, whom she lovingly refers to as her "kids" to succeed. She encourages them to follow their dreams and mentors them in making life choices, such as attending college or joining the military.

Ironically, when her son Robert, decided to join the military she was hesitant. "I wanted him to experience life first and attend college," Minnie said. She admitted that she was scared about him enlisting at such a young age and worried that he might not succeed.

But Robert knew he wanted to join the Navy. He remembered seeing Sailors involved in different events in his hometown of San Antonio, such as Fiesta. "I wanted to be a part of that and become someone who could make a difference in the world," he said.

He also wanted to follow in his father's footsteps.

"My dad is a nurse, so I wanted to have a career in the medical field like him and I knew the Navy would provide the type of experience I might not get in the civilian world," he explained.

Machinist's Mate 1st Class Richard Torres, a recruiter assigned to Navy Recruiting Station (NRS) South San Antonio, was the first recruiter Rodriguez contacted in May of 2014.

He remembered preparing the now seaman's enlistment paperwork, and being disappointed when he called to let him know he was going to wait a couple of years in order to attend college.

Two years later, Machinist's Mate 1st Class Jimmy Castro of NRS South San Antonio, met Rodriguez after speaking to his mother during one of his visits to Southside High School. "Mrs. Rodriguez approached me and told me about her son's interest in joining the Navy Reserve," he said.

In 2016, Robert was sworn in and shipped to Recruit Training Command (RTC) in Great Lakes, Illinois.

In January 2017, Castro was once again approached by Minnie. This time, she was the one interested in enlisting in the Navy Reserve.

"She told me that she had been inspired by her son and that if her age was not an issue she wanted to sign up too," Castro said.

This was the first time Castro had ever enlisted the parent of one of his applicants. "It was definitely very unique." he continued.

Minnie said her decision came after her son left for boot camp and she felt immense pride, something that she wanted to emulate.

"I chose the Navy for the opportunities the branch offers, but also because of the positive changes I saw in my son," she said.

Although, at times, Minnie fears that she may not be able to keep up with the younger Sailors, she said her age is not a set-back and she is up for the challenge.

"My son and students support me, and my fellow future Sailors cheer me on, so I know I can do this," she said.

Minnie has been a great asset to the military recruiters in the Southside area as well as to other future Sailors.

Castro describes her as a "goal setter," whose motivation shows in everything she does for her kids and her students.

She shared her thoughts about attending RTC and how she will miss her Southside "kids" graduation.

"I know they will understand," said Minnie. "It's important for me to show them that it's never too late and that you should never give up on your dreams."

For more information on Navy Reserve programs, visit, www.navy.com.

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For more news from Commander, Navy Recruiting Command, visit www.navy.mil/.