Dear friends,

I'm sad to report that, with a mere 3 weeks of training remaining, I was dropped from the Marine Corps Officer Candidates School. While, at the end, I was training at a level even with, or above, most other candidates, my performances in the beginning suffered greatly from an overall lack of military knowledge and familiarity, and my overall progress, therefore, was unsatisfactory. While this occurrence has been incredibly disappointing, I thank those special few for their unwavering support.

I took a risk on something I was passionate about and on something I thought I could contribute meaningfully to. I worked harder than I ever knew I could, and achieved things I never thought possible. In my heart, there is no regret, only deep, painful disappointment. I would not have pursued the military if I didn't honestly believe it was the right thing for me to do; I have always been chiefly concerned with living a moral and meaningful life, and I thought that devoting myself to the military's cause of righteousness was the best way to do this. Failure is never pleasant, but it is always what you make of a defeat that decides your future.

Despite the discouraging result, in a way I am thankful. I have learned that, no matter how hard the world pushes against me, within me, there's something stronger, pushing right back. Perhaps most importantly though, this experience has shown me that, no matter what, as long as I have virtue and determination, the fight isn't over.