Culinary Specialist 2nd Class Iesha Jolly was named the NAS Patuxent River 2017 Junior Sailor of the Year (JSOY) – not bad for someone who was certain in high school that she was joining the Army.
“I was in JROTC in high school and I planned to go into the Army,” said Jolly, who is currently serving shore duty at Pax River. “I knew I was going to be green; I had no intention of going into the Navy until a Navy recruiter came to my class.”
The recruiter convinced Jolly to stop by and see what the Navy might be able to offer her, and the rest is history.
“He talked me in to giving it a chance,” Jolly said. “I graduated high school in May [2011] and was at boot camp five days later. It was a good decision that I’m happy I made.”
Her duties, according to her JSOY nomination package, include overseeing maintenance calls, room inspections and the cleanliness of all common areas; supervising four personnel; and managing all trouble call tickets through completion. She stands watch as Front Desk Clerk and After Hours Duty CS; provides customer service to residents, resident advisers and geo-bachelors; processes new check-ins and check-outs; performs key log accountability; and prepares and facilitates in-rate training for the N9 Department.
Her commitment to excellence led to Pax River’s Unaccompanied Housing receiving the “A List” Real Estate Award for outstanding customer service, making it the model operation in the NDW region.
“She has an incredible work ethic and is definitely driven by success, but her most impressive attribute, in my opinion, is her willingness to support command missions,” said Chief Culinary Specialist Andrae Keith, Jolly’s leading chief petty officer. “This type of willingness can sometimes be rare to find at the 2nd Class Petty Officer level, so it’s very refreshing when you get the privilege of having one in your division.”
Collateral duties include the Color Guard/Honors Team, Departmental Career Counselor, and serving as the NAS Recreation Committee Treasurer helping to organize fundraisers.
Outside the fenceline, she dedicated 25 off-duty hours to Southern Maryland Meals on Wheels and tallied 120 volunteer hours with the Lexington Park Volunteer Rescue Squad.
Having come to Pax after five years onboard her first ship, USS Nitze (DDG 94) – where she served 300 Sailors three meals a day – Jolly hasn’t done much cooking.
“Sometimes I’ll cook for my coworkers, but I don’t cook for myself because it’s just me and I end up making too much food,” she said, laughing. “I try to keep it simple; I eat cereal a lot at home.”
Appreciative of the recognition, Jolly is surprised she won the JSOY award, but Chief Keith isn’t.
“She is one of the most reliable Sailors I’ve led in my career,” he said. “Frankly, my entire division has the same type of willingness and drive, which is truly a blessing. I’m very proud of all their accomplishments.”
Capt. Jason Hammond, NAS Patuxent River commanding officer, presents the 2017 Junior Sailor of the Year plaque to Culinary Specialist 2nd Class Iesha Jolly during an awards presentation at NAS Patuxent River. Jolly serves as the Unaccompanied Housing Building Manager, responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of seven barracks buildings, totaling 233 rooms.
