SEA ADVENTURER

She craves adventure and wants to travel around the world. What better way to satisfy her wanderlust than to sail to exotic places with the Navy?

It thus comes as no surprise that, when she was only 17, Military Expert (ME) 1-1 Latha took up the Military Domain Experts Scheme Study Award (NITEC) to study Electronics at ITE College West. And the former Girl Guide has gotten more than what she signed up for.

Right now, she is in the thick of action in the Gulf of Aden, patrolling the pirate-infested waters on board frigate RSS Tenacious with 150 other Navy, Air Force and Army personnel. It is her longest and furthest sail to date.

A navigation specialist, ME1-1 Latha operates the naval radar and helps to plot the nautical chart. One of her biggest challenges on the job? Being away from home for long stretches when sailing. She copes by putting up photos of her loved ones in her cabin.

"Whenever I wake up and look at the photos, they give me the strength to carry on, "she said.

ME1-1 Latha believes in the adage, "work hard, play hard". On weekends, she is seldom home; the 21-year-old enjoys chilling out with friends at a pub or shopping with family.