While most graduates from Northeast High School are enjoying their time in the sun with friends and family before they enter the next phase of their life, Lindsay Bailey is training in San Antonio for the U.S. Space Force.

For as long as she can remember, the former Pasadena resident has wanted to join the military. She doesn’t know who sent her down that path, she said, but she does know she is determined to succeed.

“I ended up joining because I wanted something stable,” Bailey said. “I wanted something that would make me grow as a person and support me financially instead of going like the normal college route.”

Bailey, along with recent South River graduates Christain Pearce and Carlos Henderson, were recipients of the Candace C.W. Antwine Military Service Award, named to honor the late District 1 representative on the Anne Arundel County Board of Education.

With the award comes a $2,000 cash award to assist with the initial expenses related to enlisting.

Antwine was elected to the school board in November 2018 and served until she died July 16, 2021.

Antwine was a Navy veteran who served for more than a decade in active duty, reserve and civil servant capacities. That included service with the National Security Agency through the Naval Security Group, the Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security.

Bailey, 18, had been accepted to the Air Force before she decided to apply for its space service. Her goal is to become a central intelligence analyst.

“I had to go through like a whole process of applying for Space Force, like it’s completely different,” she said. “With Space Force, you actually have to do an application that they send to the board, where they overview it and see if you are a perfect fit.”

Only 500 people get chosen to join Space Force each year, according to Bailey. During the recommendation process applicants are graded as not recommended, recommended or highly recommended; Bailey was highly recommended.

“It’s a pretty big deal, so I was really excited,” she said.

For Pearce and Henderson, both 18, joining the Navy also means continuing their family’s legacy of service.

Pearce said that during his childhood his father served on active duty in the Navy. The Edgewater resident’s experience of moving to different states over the course of his childhood and seeing his dad on active duty encouraged him to follow the same path, he said.

“I’ve talked to him about it my whole life, and it’s really been such a positive impact on his life,” Pearce said. “He’s really been able to build himself as a leader and as a person, and that’s one thing I really want to do.”

Henderson’s father has served in the U.S. Marines. Though he doesn’t plan to go down that path, Henderson said the camaraderie between his father and the friends with whom he served and whom he has known for the past two decades is one of many reasons he decided to continue the family legacy.

“You’ll make friends in the military [and] you’ll never let those friends go,” said Henderson, who is from Crofton. “You’ll be with those people for the rest of your life.”

Pearce said he doesn’t know what the future has in store for him after serving as a rescue swimmer in the Navy. He knows he definitely wants to become an officer and is considering attending the Naval Academy to either pursue a degree in engineering or computer science.

“I am big on growth within myself, to be able to be a better me than I was the year before,” he said, “and I definitely see the military as a way to better myself and grow as a leader and my career in general.”

Henderson is planning to pursue a career in cryptologic technician collection in the Navy. Much of the job description is classified, according to the Navy’s website, but much of the role consists of intercepting signals to provide tactical strategical intelligence to ships and special warfare units.

“I want to do the things I want to do in life and not have to pay student loans for the next 40 years of my life,” Henderson said. “I have benefits. I make a difference in the world. I get to travel to wherever they send me.

“I’m overall just excited to do what I want in life without too much restraints.”

Both Henderson and Pearce will be shipping out to Illinois later this summer to begin training before they move to Pensacola, Florida, to continue their schooling. For now, they plan to spend the remainder of the time they have in Maryland with their friends and family.

The Candace C.W. Antwine Military Service Award was launched in 2021. The award is given each May to three AACPS students who have made a commitment to enlist in the military upon graduation.

The $2,000 award is meant to pay for expenses, such as basic training supplies, and remove financial barriers to military service.

Antwine was a committed voice for children in need and for military families throughout the county, according to District 5 representative Dana Schallheim. As a member of the board, Antwine concentrated on eradicating bullying and racial tension in schools and expanding specialized accommodations to assist students with disabilities.

“We had stellar applicants this year,” Schallheim said. “It was a really hard decision for the selection panel.

Overall, it was not so much their resumes, it was their essays. Their essays really jumped off the page.”

To be eligible for consideration, applicants must show proof of enlistment in their chosen branch of the military, provide an updated resume, provide a character reference and write a 300-word essay on why they chose to enlist in the U.S. military.

The award recipients acknowledged the benefits of serving in the military, including financial stability and a jump-start to their career as opposed to pursuing higher education immediately after graduating. However, their essays were full of personal stories that made them stand out from the other seven applicants.