Seaman Recruit Taylor Barron, of Division 055, graduated as the top Sailor from Recruit Training Command, earning the Military Excellence Award, Dec. 14.

Barron, from Virginia Beach, Virginia, was inspired to join the Navy by her father, Lt. Andrew Barron, and her brother, Aviation Structural Mechanic 2nd Class Jonathan Bock.

“They showed me what the Navy had to offer and the ways that it could improve your life,” Taylor Barron said. “I would like to finish my nursing degree through the Navy, in the hopes of one day commissioning to become an officer.”

Barron, 24, is a 2012 graduate of Kempsville High School in Virginia Beach. She attended Radford University in Radford, Virginia, for two years.

Barron was assigned the rating of hospital corpsman.

The Navy Club of the United States Military Excellence Award (MEA) is the top award presented to the No. 1 recruit of their graduating training group. The MEA is awarded to the recruit who best exemplifies the qualities of enthusiasm, devotion to duty, military bearing and teamwork. The award placed her at the pinnacle of today’s newest Sailors. Barron was awarded a flag letter of commendation.

“Winning this award means that I truly pushed myself to become the best Sailor I could be,” Barron said. “It shows that all the extra physical fitness, early wake-up calls and nights standing watch were worth every second of it.”

Barron credited her Recruit Division Commanders, Chief Aviation Machinist’s Mate Jeremy Klappauf, Gas Turbine System Technician (Mechanical) 1st Class Sean Loya, and Machinist’s Mate 2nd Class Latiesha Payne for their leadership and guidance.

“Chief Klappauf always had encouraging words,” Barron said. “He would take the time to sit down and break things down for the recruits with attention to detail, because he genuinely wanted us all to graduate. Petty Officer Loya was a huge motivator, especially when it came to our drill practice. He pushed everyone every day, whether it was running beside recruits to help them better their run times or simply pulling us aside and reminding us what it was that brought us to boot camp and why we have to push ourselves. Petty Officer Payne was always excited and constantly encouraging us. If we messed up, she would remind us that we were better than that and to recalibrate - that we should always leave it all on the finish line.”

Barron said she received additional support and motivation from friends and family, as well as her shipmates.

“My family and boyfriend, Joshua Wiltrout, were a huge support with their encouraging words through all of the letters and the occasional phone calls we were allowed to make," she said. "It is always hard being put with 80 other strangers, but when it comes down to it, Division 055 would push you to your full potential. My division is full of amazing Sailors, all of whom bring something different to the table, and we all hold each other to a higher standard.”

Barron said the toughest part of boot camp was creating new habits.

“It took me a while to be able to not break my military bearing - to be able to not think when told to do something and to just do it," she said, "to use what I’ve been taught and not to crack under the pressure. As a civilian, it is easy to just blow off responsibilities and take a day off to sleep. Being in the Navy, you have to show up every day and perform your best.”

After graduation, Barron will attend hospital corpsman “A” school in Fort Sam Houston, San Antonio, where she will learn basic principles and techniques of patient care and first-aid procedures.

Boot camp is approximately eight weeks and all enlistees into the U.S. Navy begin their careers at the command. Training includes physical fitness, seamanship, firearms, firefighting and shipboard damage control, along with lessons in Navy heritage and core values, teamwork and discipline. More than 30,0000 recruits graduate annually from RTC and begin their Navy careers.

For more news from Recruit Training Command, visit www.navy.mil/.

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For more news from Recruit Training Command, visit www.navy.mil/.