Senior Spotlight: Desmond Hutchens

Military Training Leads to Ambitious Aspirations 

Desmond Hutchens’ transformation from class clown to uber-disciplined Navy Seal-in training began his freshman year at Northeast Guilford High.  

That’s when he joined the NJROTC. But the change wasn’t immediate. Those first couple of years were a little bumpy. He arrived at Northeast with a reputation as a class clown and he didn’t take his school work too seriously.  

“I like seeing people laugh and smile,” he says. “So I was goofy.” 

He’d get into a little trouble here and there. Nothing too serious. But he lacked discipline and direction.  

“Commander (Brian) Taylor helped me with that. I didn’t grow up with a father, so coming to high school and having the male role model helped me a lot,” he says. “I didn’t have my priorities right. I’m glad I have got them right now.”  Rough edges, hidden potential  

Hutchens says he always knew he wanted to join the military. He had a few family members who served, so he thought it might be the place for him. His first stop towards that goal was NJ ROTC (Navy Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps) at Northeast. Commander Taylor, a retired officer, served in the military 28 years. He’s taught the Naval Science class at Northeast for the past five years. He recalls Hutchens in his freshman year as being a little “rough around the edges,” but he spotted potential. Hutchens had presence among his peers.  

“He had influence over a very large class. It was 35 students at least in that class. But when he raised his voice and said something like, ‘Hey. Let’s get in line and go to drill,’ I noticed that they all followed him. It was a little strange, but in a good way that someone that age would align with my direction so quickly,” Taylor says.  

Taylor responded by making him the class leader. 

“He helped out with corralling the class and getting them in the right place at the right time,” Taylor says. “They gravitated towards him even more.”  

In time, Hutchens demonstrated more and more initiative, persuading his classmates to complete ztasks before Taylor’s prompting. Taylor grew to count on Hutchens to get the job done, no matter what was entailed. 

“He can do things that other people can’t do,” Taylor says. 

Lessons start to sink in  

Hutchens still got into some trouble in his early days of NJ ROTC.  

“I was never a really bad kid, just a troublesome kid,” he says. “My grades were low and I was stuck in a cycle of bad choices.” 

He says the staff at Northeast helped guide him. 

“There have been times where I’ve gotten in trouble for things and instead of punishing me too harshly and suspending me for 10 days, they talked to me and gave me ISS for two days and just told me who I was and what they see in me,” he says. “It helped open my eyes to what high school is about. I’m not just here to get good grades and go to college. I’m here to start my foundation. My foundation is my life. So depending on how I do here, depends on how I do down the road.”  

When Hutchens started attending competitions and field trips with other ROTC students throughout the region, his motivation increased. He was impressed by their composure and sharp uniforms decorated with numerous ribbons and medals. He was inspired by visiting places like Parris Island, where Marines train, and Norfolk, Virginia, the world’s largest naval base. Eager to earn his own ribbons, Hutchens eagerly completed programs and challenges so that he could move up the ranks.  

“Every time I learned something, I was like, ’Okay, let me take the next test so I can rank up.’ I flew through the ranks as fast as I could,” he says.  

Even if he didn’t have aspirations to join the Navy, Hutchens says ROTC taught him to be a better citizen. 

“ROTC isn’t just about joining the military. Their main goal is for you to survive in the workforce after high school and give you more knowledge about teamwork,” Hutchens says. “ROTC helped me in my home life and with my grades by giving me discipline and showing me that the person under me doesn’t need to be stepped on, but helped up.”

Next step: Navy Seal training  

On Taylor’s recommendation, Hutchens attended the JROTC Leadership Academy for cadets at the Citadel the summer before his junior year. It was formative, showing him that being in a room full of people with the same mindset and goals was where he belonged. He says the experience pushed him beyond his limits. 

“I was surrounded by goal-oriented people that continuously pursued success,” he says. “I gained discipline, strategic problem-solving and leadership skills that reshaped my mindset for my own personal growth.”  

Hutchens’ high ASVAB, or Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery, score grants him access to a wide variety of military careers and opportunities from which to choose. ASVAB scores determine eligibility for enlistment in the military and to assign individuals to specific job roles. Hutchens scored in the 99th percentile, or better than 99 percent of other test-takers. It doesn’t guarantee his first choice of a job, but it can make it easier to pursue prestigious roles such as those that require top-secret security clearance.  

“ROTC has opened a lot of doors for me,” Hutchens says.  

In his senior year, he became one of the top students in his company and took pride in leading others, setting an example and helping his peers grow along with him. 

With graduation soon behind him, he’s now focused on Navy Seal training. He must run 1.5 miles in seven minutes and be able to swim 500 meters. After that, he must complete 50 sit-ups, 50 push-ups and 10 pull-ups.  

“After all that swimming, it’s hard. You’ve got to pull all the way down and all the way back up,” he says.  

He will spend about a month improving his physical fitness to pass the requirement. He says his teachers and administrators have helped prepare him for this.  

“Guilford County Schools has helped me,” he says. “I’ve gotten chance after chance and those chances have led me down this road that I’m on now. Looking back, those struggles in my early years were necessary — they made my transformation even more meaningful. JROTC didn’t just shape me, it helped me become the leader and young man I was meant to be.”