Brigade Commander Prepared to Lead

Finding leaders who can set the right example for midshipmen in both academic performance and real world experience can be difficult, but this semester’s most senior midshipman is no stranger to life challenges.

A native of Baltimore, Md., Midshipman 1st Class Jonathan Monti was barely an average student through high school. He struggled through his freshman year in college and, after failing to balance his academics with a part-time construction job with his dad, he decided to quit both.

He enlisted in the Marine Corps as a different avenue to better his life and turned his deficiencies into strengths, which rekindled his passion for engineering.

“I feel passionate about engineering because I love building and creating things,” said Monti. “Mechanical engineering was a different avenue for me to express my creativity.”

His officer-in-charge approached him and recommended that he apply to the academy. He applied to the Naval Academy Preparatory School in Rhode Island then was accepted into the Naval Academy, two weeks before the cut-off date.

Since entering the academy, he has maintained a steady academic performance and has demonstrated his leadership skills in his role as the brigade training sergeant.

Monti also devotes time to collateral duties, serving as a participant in the Society of American Military Engineers, the spring semester combat fitness commanding officer, and a Color Guard senior.

He also volunteers his time with the Naval Academy's Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) program which introduces these subject areas to children from grades six to 12, using innovative hands-on labs, flight and sea simulators, and robotic prototypes.

“In STEM we have a thing called SeaPerch which is an underwater vehicle, built using PVC pipes and using the principles of buoyancy. The kids see how it works and put the concepts together. A lot of kids can get intimidated by engineering and science, but it's not that all mystical. Math was my worst subject, but it’s just simple principles that you break down,” he said.

Monti, a mechanical engineering major, loves engineering because of the knowledge that he can make someone’s life more comfortable or safer by sitting down and thinking through a problem.

After graduation, Monti plans to do one year of graduate school in mechanical engineering before heading to basic Marine training, where he will receive his designation as a Marine ground officer.