KANSAS CITY, Mo. — An Oak Park senior just received a $20,000 signing bonus to the U.S. Navy for nuclear power engineering, and it’s no walk in the park to qualify.
“When she took the ASVAB, she completely destroyed it. She scored very high, one of the highest scores I’ve seen,” said Petty Officer Joshua Glee, her recruiter.
That’s something he said doesn’t happened very often. The ASVAB is similar to the ACT, but for the military.
Now Lucy Cunningham is gearing up for a career in the Navy as a nuclear power engineer.
“It’s the hardest job to qualify for in the Navy, if not all the branches,” Glee said.
“Sometimes you just gotta dive right in,” Cunningham said.
It’s her motto, and it couldn’t be more fitting for her chosen profession.
Besides her prestigious honor, the Oak Park senior enjoys spending her free time tutoring middle school kids in orchestra and plays the viola.
“It always makes my heart warm up a little bit,” she said.
She’s also the co-captain of her school’s swim team, has been on the principal honor roll throughout high school and lettered in academics and orchestra.
Glee said her background and her education make her a top candidate to serve our country.
“She by far exceeded the requirements for the job,” he said.
The Navy said Cunningham will get two years of schooling and some college credit and will then serve for four years as a nuclear power engineer. Her location is to be determined.
Editor’s note: A Navy recruiting spokesperson told FOX4 the signing bonus for nuclear engineers has recently increased to $40,000 for those interested in the career.
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