Leaders of U.S. Army Recruiting Command dubbed 2020 as the “Year of the Recruiter” to focus on the soldiers charged with finding the right people to serve in the Army.
“The Year of the Recruiter is about empowering the men and women who are out there on the streets every day working to bring in the next generation of Soldiers,” Maj. Gen. Frank Muth, USAREC’s commanding general, stated in a press release. “This year is about them – the people who are finding tomorrow’s Army leaders today.”
Among those are top performers, like Sgt. 1st Class Jordan Ferrari who was named Army Reserve Recruiter of the Year late last year, during a ceremony at Fort Knox, Kentucky. The award was more surprising, in fact, for Ferrari herself.
“There are so many impressive men and women in our recruiting ranks,” the 30-year-old said. “Representing these amazing men and women … is an absolute honor.”
Being a decorated recruiter from the 5th Recruiting Brigade within the Kansas City Recruiting Battalion wasn’t always in her plans. Raised in Alabama by a single mother, Ferrari was “a college dropout” after working and taking classes became overwhelming. In 2008, she decided to enlist in the Army Reserve as a medical laboratory specialist, despite her mom’s initial reservations.
“I knew that my service in the Army Reserve would provide me with education and experience to better my life in the civilian sector … and it did,” she said.
Ferrari eventually switched to recruiting and has sent roughly 50 men and women into service.
“The best part (about recruiting) is that I’m able to help the communities in which we serve,” Ferrari said. “Being able to share my own experiences to help others reach their goals is rewarding.”
Recruiting isn’t the only rewarding outlet for Ferrari, either. The same month she was named Recruiter of the Year, she also graduated from Boston University with a Master’s degree in Social Work. It was a path born from a 2015 squad leader assignment at the Warrior Transition Battalion.
“I saw firsthand how the social workers positively influenced the lives of our transitioning soldiers,” she explained.
Ferrari connected with one soldier in particular who was struggling with alcohol addiction. As she supported the soldier through inpatient treatment, she was struck by the power of helping people through dependency.
That soldier medically retired and successfully reintegrated into the civilian job market. At her retirement, she thanked Ferrari “for being there for her in her darkest times and never giving up.”
“This appreciation stuck with me and I knew that I could help others; I just needed the tools to do so,” Ferrari said. She plans on eventually earning a PhD in Social Welfare Policy with the aim to develop programs and policies benefitting youth and veterans.
But not quite yet. This year she is starting a nursing program at the University of Kansas to eventually commission into the Army Nurse Corps. Each degree will nicely dovetail with her current internship as a chemical dependency treatment counselor with more than 500 hours volunteered in 2019 at a counseling facility.
“I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to give back to the local community. I truly believe that when our time on Earth is done, the only thing we leave behind is the impact we have on others. It is my hope that I have left a positive impact on those that I have encountered whether it be through military service or through counseling,” Ferrari said during an interview on the U.S. Army website.
It’s safe to say that her mother’s fears of what her daughter might become through the Army have been erased.
“She could not be more proud of my service to our great nation,” Ferrari said. “She understands that the Army Reserve has provided me with a foundation, a career and an opportunity to pursue higher education while becoming part of something much bigger than my small hometown.”
