Military’s historic announcement opens doors for young female officers

Produced by Nicole Barradas and Chloe Golan, students at Alonzo and Tracy Mourning Senior High School in Miami, Florida.

Defense Secretary Ash Carter made history recently by announcing that all combat positions in the United States military will be open to women.

Shantell Gonzalez is the commanding officer of her high school Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps program. The 16-year-old CO understands the challenges of being a female leading a company of males, but trains as hard as anyone in the hopes of one day joining the military. She believes that men and women have the same physical and mental capabilities to perform equally in combat.

She affirms, “How do you think men get to the way they are? They work for it. Females just have to do the same thing.”

For more stories about teens challenging gender stereotypes, visit the ‘Outside the Box’ site.