Saginaw High School sophomore David Wey approached the pull-up bar next to a Marine Corps recruiter station during lunch.
The red iron monolith in the cafeteria served up a challenge: test your strength. A small crowd of students watched as Wey leaped, grabbed onto the grip and hung for a moment before pulling himself up. His classmates counted each rep behind him, urging him to do more.
“As Marines, we love healthy competition,” Marine Corps recruiter Sgt. Elbert Brown said.
The spectacle always draws a crowd, he said. And each time a student walks up to take the challenge, it’s a chance for them to connect.
But only a fraction will take the first step to enlist in the armed forces. Even fewer will qualify to serve, said Sgt. Devin D’Souza, now in his second year recruiting for the Marine Corps.
To boost enlistment, schools look to build strong relationships with recruiters to help coordinate efforts to dispel misconceptions about the military and highlight how military experience can help career paths.
D’Souza and Brown discuss students’ interests, future plans and whether they are interested in the military, D’Souza said. Their goal is to see if the military is a good fit.
From his recruiting experience, D’Souza found uninterested students often didn’t really know much about what military personnel do or had seen something online that scared them off.
They talk to students about noncombat careers available through the military.
“We just like to get the sting out of it and just show them it’s truly not what it is made out to be,” he said.
Students often do not see military service as an option because they may not know of the career opportunities available, said John Fahey, Eagle Mountain-Saginaw ISD director of college, career and military readiness.
“A lot of people think, ‘All right, going into the military I’m going to be handed a gun and put on the front lines,” Fahey said. “And that’s just not reality.”
Students can find their ways to medical, cybersecurity and other career paths through the military, he said.
From left, Sgt. Devin D’Souza, Eagle Mountain-Saginaw ISD senior Jacob Williamson and Sgt. Elbert Brown stand for a photo in the hallway of Saginaw High School on Oct. 9, 2025. (John Forbes | Fort Worth Report)
Students may see a recruiter every week during lunch as military recruiters from different branches visit on alternating weeks, Fahey said.
Fahey connects with recruiters by discussing their enlistment needs for various fields. He then helps direct recruiting efforts for specific careers to students who are likely interested.
Recruiters come less often in Keller ISD, said Kristen Elam, the district’s director of counseling programs and college, career and military readiness.
Depending on the campus, Keller students may see a recruiter once a month.
Keller ISD also hosts two career fairs each academic year. At the fairs, families who may not know much about the military are able to speak with recruiters directly.
The event offers an opportunity to educate students and parents alike about career opportunities through the military, Elam said.
A flag flown during the Revolutionary War sits on display at Keller ISD Education Center outside the college, career and military readiness office on Oct. 14, 2025. (John Forbes | Fort Worth Report)
Last spring, Fahey worked with recruiters and five other school districts, including Keller, to hold a Military Night, a military recruitment event that saw about 300 students show up, he said.
The Eagle Mountain-Saginaw and Keller school districts are planning the second annual Military Night for the spring, Elam said.
Fahey attributes much of Eagle Mountain-Saginaw ISD’s above-average military enlistment rate to the community’s reverence for the armed forces.
In the future, he hopes to get the district’s enlistment rate to 5%, he said.
“The culture we build as a district about honoring our veterans is the starting point to create the interest,” Fahey said.
Saginaw High senior Jacob Williamson, 18, was one of the first of his class to enlist after attending the military career event.
Military service runs in the family. Williamson wants to work on aircraft.
His ultimate goal is financial stability, he said. He wants to gain experience that can transfer to civilian work.
He chose the Marines because he wanted a challenge, he said. Since June, he has worked with D’Souza and Brown to prepare for basic training.
“I have a purpose now, so I’m getting up earlier and going for runs and getting ready,” Williamson said.
John Forbes is a reporting fellow for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at john.forbes@fortworthreport.org.
At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
Related
Fort Worth Report is certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative for adhering to standards for ethical journalism.
Republish This Story
Republishing is free for noncommercial entities. Commercial entities are prohibited without a licensing agreement. Contact us for details.