Following in his lifelong dream, senior Mark Perez enlisted in the United States Marine Corps and will head to boot camp after graduation.

“I’ve always wanted to do it as a kid and I’ve never changed my mind. Now that I’m age appropriate to join, I just did it,” Perez said.

The Marines was the right fit for Perez because of the challenges that come from the branch.

“It’s one of the hardest branches to get into and I want to be a part of the best,” Perez said.

When Perez was in eighth grade, he gained motivation from seeing his brother graduate from the Army reserve.

“Seeing him graduate with a bunch of soldiers, I was like ‘Wow that seems like something I really want to do’ because my parents looked proud,” Perez said.

While being enlisted as active duty, Perez is not only in track and field but also attends weekly basic training workouts to prepare to serve for four years.

“I hope to accomplish work experience because the Marines give you a lot of jobs and those jobs can transfer to real life when you’re done with the military,” Perez said.

Perez will head to San Diego’s military base for boot camp June 24.

“It’s a really good option and it can benefit people, and people should definitely think about that option,” Perez. “It doesn’t always have to be just college right after high school, you can go to the military then go to college, or college during the military.”