The gift of time and place

没过多久你就能感受到弗朗西斯·杨中校作为美国海军陆战队新指挥官所传达的兴奋 Carson-Newman University’s Army ROTC. 在坐下来参加早上的办公室会议之前, 杨热情地解释了一些JROTC的高中生最近是如何重新燃起了他们对全球赌博十大网站的兴趣，并把全球赌博十大网站推上了他们大学名单的首位. 

The excitement is genuine. After all, Young was once where they were, 她知道他们在C-N能找到的第一手好处.

丹德里奇人，杰斐逊县高中毕业生, 杨知道她想去一个离家和家人近的地方上大学，一个能培养她基督教信仰的地方. Carson-Newman checked all the boxes.

还有她的指导顾问建议她在大四的时候去JROTC学习, everything seemed to line up.

“I felt like this would be home for me,” Young said. “Looking back, I’m so grateful. You know, sometimes we have plans for ourselves, but God knows the plans He lays out for us well beyond.”

Young earned a four-year Army ROTC scholarship at C-N as a nursing major. 杨说:“我知道我想做一份照顾别人的工作. “That’s where my heart was called to be.”

Young said what she found at C-N was special. “The nursing professors, the smaller community, and family environment really sets people up for success,” she said, crediting her nursing professors for always taking time. “他们也会真诚地关注你的成果和你这个人. Dr. Casalenuovo是我们后备军官训练队的导师，他绝对是尽心尽力的.”

这是关怀和学术严谨的结合，杨仍然深情地记得.

“That toughness challenges you, 它让你成长，让你做一些你认为不可能的事情,” she said. “But you’ve got your teachers on your side, even though they’re going to push you, they’re on your side to help you cross the finish line.”

但直到2007年卡森-纽曼公司委托她工作三年后，杨才完全意识到她的教授们是多么支持她.

While stationed at Fort Stewart in Georgia, serving as a labor and delivery nurse, 杨接到家里打来的电话，说她的弟弟雷蒙德在重症监护室，情况不太好.

“我打电话给指挥官，他们让我离开工作岗位，”她生动地回忆道. 她和丈夫詹姆斯·杨少校(Major James Young, 2005年C-N校友)很快踏上了返回东田纳西州的道路.

“I was not in a good headspace to drive, but (James) was able to drive the six hours back,” Young said before pausing, “He ended up passing.” Raymond was 15.

随着记忆的迅速回归，杨回忆起了她一直坚持的画面.

“几周后，我们站在殡仪馆里，我看了看，看到了医生. Casalenuovo. There were two other nursing professors and Ms. Angie Wood and I think Dr. Kraft was there. 他们和ROTC的新生一起来参加我哥哥的葬礼. I hadn’t even had contact with them. I didn’t tell them; they just heard about it somehow,” she said. “我永远不会忘记看着他们，看着他们……那种感觉太震撼了。. 他们一直记得我是谁，并从一天中抽出时间来迎接我.

“在所有这些拥抱之后，我感到了真正的爱和关心，”杨说. “我想说的是，那一刻在我的脑海里灌输了一种想法，‘我必须在我的职业生涯中以某种方式回到卡森-纽曼，回馈给给我很多的社区.“我想为学员们服务，就像我被服务过一样，并努力留下一份遗产，让他们觉得我在这里时也被赋予了这种感觉。.”

This past summer, after several pieces falling into place, 当杨回到苔藓溪领导鹰营时，她的宣言实现了. Having accomplished much in her military career, earning honors, awards and distinctions, Young looks forward to this new life-chapter. She also has great hopes for her cadets.

“我希望参加我们项目的学员能意识到卡森-纽曼给他们的礼物，即拥有基督教世界观，以及他们从这里的教职员工那里得到的爱和支持,” Young said. “我希望他们意识到，这里的每个人都为他们的成功付出了多少.”

And if her C-N homecoming wasn’t sweet enough, 9月，杨在朋友的簇拥下举行了军衔晋升仪式, family, colleagues, former teachers and professors. 有机会在她第一次被委任为C-N后备军官训练团军官的同一舞台上被委任, coupled with receiving her first salute from her father, Raymond, a retired U.S. Army sergeant, was almost too good to be true. 对于这位新上任的中校来说，这是一个既庆祝又反思的时刻. 

“我很难找到合适的语言来形容这对我来说是多么的强大和特别，”她说. “To return to where it all started was just so special. I’m just so blessed and overwhelmed. Time is a gift and I’ve really grown to appreciate that.”