A Saltsburg native hopes to eventually become a military officer and earn a bachelor’s degree in nursing.

But for now, she’s learning how to become an aerographer’s mate at a training center in Mississippi.

U.S. Air Force Airman First Class Sara Petro said she wasn’t sure what her future held when she graduated from River Valley High School in 2023, according to a military outreach article. After some encouragement from her grandmother, who served in the Marines, Petro settled on joining the U.S. Air Force six months ago.

She is now undergoing training to become an aerographer’s mate at the Center for Naval Aviation Technical Training Unit at Keesler Air Force Base. An aerographer’s mate is trained in meteorology and oceanography. They collect, record and analyze environmental information to support military missions.

The training center is run by the U.S. Navy. Petro said she is proud of completing boot camp with the Air Force.

“Serving in the Air Force makes me proud to be involved in something bigger than myself,” she said in the article.

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