From Deck Plates to Degree: Petty Officer’s Path from Enlisted to Officer

[Tony]

A leap of faith and hopes of becoming a pilot set one Sailor on a path from enlisted ranks to officer candidacy.

For Petty Officer 1st Class Fonanti Sapee, an enlisted outreach coordinator at the Office of Naval Research (ONR), the dream of becoming a naval officer began not in a recruiter’s office or at a career fair, but through watching friends succeed.

Aboard his previous command, USS Columbus, Sapee, whose rate is Machinist's Mate Nuclear, witnessed fellow Sailors apply for and gain acceptance to the Seaman to Admiral-21 (STA-21) program — the Navy’s commissioning opportunity for active-duty enlisted personnel.