In the mind of every student lies a passion, a dream, a goal, and for some students, those thoughts revolve around the idea of joining the Marines.

Many kids find themselves living within families involved with the military, and many become inspired to follow in their relatives’ shoes to protect the country they live in. Of course, others do have their own reasons for wanting to join, especially when it comes to picking their branch.

“[The Marines] push you the hardest,” senior Lea Montanez said. “Their current motto is ‘the few and the proud,’ and I take that personally.”

While a fear new recruits often have is the idea of boot camp — known for being intense and challenging — they also like to focus on what they look forward to in being part of the Marines, such as coming together with common goals, the experiences they will gain, and the pride that comes with defending one’s country.

“I will look back on those times in my life and realize they were a lot of fun,” senior Adin Croft said. Croft will be the 22 Marine Corps branch in his family tree.

With school, social life and the overwhelming idea of simply planning out one’s future, students might be unsure as to where they should start when it comes to joining the Marines. To promote their branch and encourage students to join, Marines visit Manhattan High during lunch hours. They have information and pamphlets to get interested students started. Along with that, students and military troops meet on Tuesdays at the Recruiting Center located at the mall to do Crossfit, eat, get to know one another and work together through the process of recruiting. Students can even find themselves striving to do better when it comes to education due to the help they were given, according to Croft. The Marines are more than happy to help their future recruits.

“Go for it,” Montanez said. “If you think you can do it, do it. If you think you can’t, do it until you can.”