STONE MOUNTAIN, Ga. — A U.S. Naval officer from Metro Atlanta is in the middle of a big homecoming this week.
Commander Kathryn Wijnaldum has several stops on her itinerary, including a chat with the governor's office. But first, she made a pitstop at her alma mater — Stone Mountain High School. She spoke with members of the school's Navy JROTC program and other students on Wednesday.
She told them to listen to their inner voice, be themselves and don't give up. For Wijnaldum, these were critical keys in finding her own voice and her own way from a former student at Stone Mountain High to the commander of a warship, the USS Oak Hill, with more than 300 personnel on board.
Born into a military family, Wijnaldum naturally gravitated toward the NJROTC program that honed her intellectual prowess and discipline. Wijnaldum applied to the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis and was accepted, but rising through the ranks, she found herself wanting to quit at times.
“I vowed at that moment that I would continue to give back and serve, because service at this level is not about me," Wijnaldum said. "It’s about creating an opportunity for others to do more, achieve more than I did. That pressure birthed a purpose in me that I didn’t even know I had. That pressure identified a gift and talent I brought to the table.”
Her mother, Karen Steiner, said Wijnaldum was born premature. Doctors expected that she would be blind and mentally handicapped. However, Wijnaldum's parents had other plans.
“It just goes to show what you can achieve once you conceive your destiny and your goals and you work hard to persevere to obtain it," Steiner said. “Giving up was not an option in our house, and no matter how hard it was, I told her that adversity built character. And with character, she’d develop the perseverance she needed to accomplish and attain anything she wanted to.”
Wijnaldum has since gotten married, become a mother of three and faces a promotion to the Navy's nuclear training program. As a Black woman, Wijnaldum told 11Alive she recognized the importance of representation in the armed forces, particularly in high ranks of office.
One recruiter said the Navy was aiming to become more diverse, with minorities recruited from the Southeast totaling less than 20% of officers in the branch. Women who enlist in the Navy nationwide make up about 20% of the branch.
"I understand that I represent what they could one day achieve, and when I was in the program, I didn’t have the opportunity to see someone who looked like me who achieved professional success like I have," Wijnaldum said. “When you don’t see people who look like you in positions of leadership, authority and influence, you may not realize it’s possible. I’m willing to share my journey if it means that I can help someone else achieve what they may believe is impossible."