|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Sailor BearIt's smooth sailing for this alum
By Elizabeth Herring
NAME: Michele Buc '88
ALL ABOARD: Following her desire to teach, Buc landed a job working as a professor aboard the USS Ronald
 Reagan.
She is one of a dozen civilians among the aircraft carrier's crew of
more than five thousand--and the only female professor in a group of
six educators. The sailors get the opportunity to take free classes
aboard the ship offered through the Navy and given through an
accredited state college. Some are working toward an associate's
degree, and some are continuing on toward a bachelor's degree. As part
of the Pacific fleet, the carrier has docked in Hong Kong, Guam, Korea,
and Japan.
SEA WORTHY: Buc was used to
Navy life since her father and uncles were all Navy pilots. Though she
is not a member of the Navy, she had to undergo detailed FBI and
medical background checks. "They don't put you through boot camp, thank
goodness, but you do have to be able to go up and down ship ladders
quickly, carrying twenty-five pounds," Buc said.
ALL IN A DAY'S WORK: Life at
sea is "very busy, noisy, and hot," according to Buc. Her fourteen-hour
workdays begin at 8 a.m. and do not end until 10 p.m. She teaches in
three different classrooms--one is hot (around ninety degrees), another
is cold (around fifty degrees), and the third sits directly below the
catapult used to launch planes. "Depending on the class, I carry a
sweater, ice water, or earplugs," Buc said. But after seeing the hard
work that the sailors and officers put in, she finds that her work
schedule doesn't seem so difficult.
SHIP TO SHORE: A communication
studies major while at Baylor, she worked in entertainment marketing in
Nashville, Tennessee, for seventeen years before achieving her goal of
being a teacher. She's adapted well to sea life, she said, but
communication can be hard because few computers have Internet access.
But with tips from the sailors, she has been able to stay in touch with
family and friends.
FULL STEAM AHEAD: Buc hopes to
teach onboard for at least another year, with breaks between
deployments to see family. After a typhoon hit the Philippines in June,
the USS Ronald Reagan was
called in to bring aid to the people. They stayed there for two weeks,
flying in food and water. One morning, a student came into her class
with his full helicopter gear on and apologized for missing the
previous class. He had been launching helicopters from the carrier all
morning. "I told him I considered that an excused absence," Buc said.
|
|
|
|
|
.jpg)
