Leavenworth Equips Students For Lifelong Success
About Gabriel Michael Mesa
Who Am I
I am a 4th generation American from a small town called Globe Arizona. I am the son of an electrician and a school nurse. I was inspired to join the Army by the World War II Veteran population from Globe. Both of my grandfathers and numerous great uncles served along with my two uncles and several cousins. I was active in JROTC in high school and received a ROTC scholarship to attend Northern Arizona University. I was commissioned in 1999 and became the first officer in my family. I served 22 years in the Army and retired in Leavenworth.
Education was stressed in my family from my grandfather who believed the key to socioeconomic success for Hispanics was education. As a lifelong laborer with a 6th grade education, he stressed the importance of school and college to his children and grandchildren. My grandmother taught herself to read and made sure I could read the comics from the paper when I was young. My father was phenomenal at mathematics and mother was adept at science. Math is not my strength, but reading and biology are.
I believe that the education my grandfather and his generation received was critical to solving the tactical problems they experienced in the Pacific and Europe theaters. His generation understood engineering, critical thinking and applied fieldcraft to their benefit under duress. Today, our nation's youth find difficulty with the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB), a key indicator of fitness for military service. Arithmetic, knowledge and reasoning are essential to the ability of service members to succeed at tasks. If high school graduates are struggling in these areas on the ASVAB, they will struggle in the military and in the nation's workforce. Leavenworth's investment in effective education is our contribution to our nation's future.
I hold a BA in liberal studies from Northern Arizona University along with two masters, an MS in leadership from Grand Canyon University and an MS in administration (public administration) from Central Michigan University. I am currently pursuing a Doctorate in law and policy from Liberty University.