JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Every 'Story of Service' is different, as is every person's reason for joining the military is different.
In this week's Stories of Service, First Coast News introduces a staff sergeant in the Army who has turned his life around on multiple fronts. And his path to the future started with the most unlikely of steps.
"I stopped going to high school in my 9th grade year because it wasn't for me," said Jarvis Brannon. "I got a job at Hardee's and thought it was everything."
That job at Hardee's didn't end up being everything for Brannon. Growing up on Jacksonville's Westside, he eventually went to the Florida Youth Challenge Academy in Starke and from there, became a Jacksonville Sheriff's Office corrections officer at 19 years old. But again, Brannon wanted more.
"I grew up in an environment where the majority of people around me committed big offenses," Brannon said.
Brannon then enlisted in the Army, another leap in life.
"Now in the Army, I jump out of planes, I love jumping out of planes," said Brannon. "Never in a million years would I see myself jumping out of a moving plane in flight."
But that's not where his life truly began to soar, the military paid for Brannon's education. The kid who once dropped out of 9th grade, earned his associate's degree in criminal justice, then later that year took classes at two different schools to earn his bachelor's degree.
Brannon's thirst for education grew from there and in August 2023, he received his master's degree. Now, he's on a path towards a PhD in developmental psychology.
"The environment you grow up in can shape how you grow up and what you perceive things to be, to change people's mindsets is worth it because it changed my mindset and where I'm at now," Brannon said.
Brannon is currently a drill sergeant with the Army and after he earns his PhD, he told First Coast News he wants to work in the juvenile justice system to show young people a better path in life.
If you have a Story of Service that you would like us to feature, send an email to storiesofservice@firstcoastnews.com.
