Student Spotlight: Edric Camacho, Navy

Tell us a little about yourself.

My name is Edric Camacho, and I am from Roseville, CA. I served in the United States Navy as a machinist’s mate nuclear, where I received additional training as an engineering laboratory technician. I enlisted in the military because I hit rock bottom during my first attempt at college and had an epiphany. I knew I had to change something, so I decided to join the Navy to learn new skills, instill discipline in myself, and be part of a mission bigger than me.

I love to talk about the cool applications of nuclear power. I learned so much about it during my military training and from my experience in the fleet that it feels almost impossible NOT to mention it at least once. In fact, I graduated top of my class of 326 sailors in my Power School class. On another note, I also love to play Super Smash Bros., and I used to play it competitively.

Did you have any college experience before attending your Warrior-Scholar Project boot camp? Why did you decide to apply?

Before attending Warrior-Scholar Project’s STEM academic boot camp at Stanford University, I had two semesters of community college under my belt and was already a 4.0 student, so I felt like I had little to gain from it. In addition, I was an extremely strong student academically when I went through Navy nuke training. On top of graduating first in my class in Power School, I was also in the top four in my A-School class. Before that, I was a not-so-strong college student and a run-of-the-mill high school student.

I decided to apply to a Warrior-Scholar Project boot camp to meet new people who care about pursuing higher education. Ironically, I found solace in pursuing higher education after performing so poorly in it before the military, so I wanted to see if there were other people like me out there. It turns out that my experience wasn’t unique at all.

What were you feeling going into the first day of your boot camp? Did you experience a shift in your confidence as the week progressed? 

Funnily enough, I had that same sinking feeling I felt in my stomach on my very first day of Navy boot camp. That feeling of, “What did I get myself into?”

I had a complete shift in confidence during my academic boot camp experience. In just a short span of a week, a random group of people I just met turned into some of the best people I’ve been around in my life. I’m glad I influenced them and they influenced me, even if just a tiny amount.

What are some of the key takeaways from your boot camp experience? Is there one thing that stood out to you?

You’re surrounded by people who are willing to support you. If your goal is to go to school, you’re not alone, and don’t sell yourself short. You’re worth much more than you might think, regardless of how you used to be before the military. However, the thing that stood out to me the most was the networking opportunities.

How would you describe your overall experience?

It was a transformative experience. I’ll admit, I had a strong academic background coming into the Stanford boot camp, but it wasn’t the academics that made the boot camp for me. It was the people I met in my cohort, the fellows, and the professors I met at Stanford. The overall experience of Stanford itself made the experience one of a kind.

Do you have any parting words?

Prepare to feel stupid, and I don’t mean it in a bad way. Prepare to realize how little you know about the world. How you respond to this is completely up to you.