Cameron Lynch

Feature Story
PR Writing FINAL
Bryant

All it Takes is One

Growing up a military brat, Jonathan Schrader quickly became accustomed to constant

change. A military brat is dependent of active or retired military personnel, and stands for : B-orn
R-aised A-nd T-rained. It is common for military families to move around constantly to different
bases, and this was the case for Schrader. He was born in Long Beach, California, but moved at
least every two years his entire childhood. He lived in six different states before entering high
school, including Alaska. The constant relocating made it hard for him to build long lasting
friendships especially as he progressed into middle and high school.

“I enjoyed getting to live all over the country, but I often felt isolated from the kids who had
been close friends for years,” recalled Schrader. “Plus, I was a naturally shy kid, so sometimes I
found it hard to make conversation in new places.”

When asked about his favorite place that he lived growing up, Schrader answered with no
hesitation. “New Jersey by a long shot,” he said proudly. “That is the only place where I met
people that I still keep in contact with today.”

While living in Fort Monmouth, New Jersey, Schrader joined his high school swimming team in
hopes of creating friends at his new school and bonding with his teammates. He claims that this
decision made a tremendous positive impact on his high school years. He made lifelong friends
that he still keeps in contact with, but the most influential person to Schrader was his swim
coach, Harrison Mcnight.

Mcnight took an instant interest in Schrader, and made an effort to not only advance his
swimming skills, but also spark conversation between him and the other members of the team.
Jon quickly became very close friends with his teammates, and swim meets became the highlight
of his week.

“Thanks to Coach Mcnight I felt more comfortable around my new teammates, and that made all
the difference”, said Schrader. “I felt more at home during my two years in Eatontown, New
Jersey than I did at any of the eight states I lived in growing up.”

The impact that Mcnight had on his time in New Jersey inspired Schrader to coach his own
swimming team once he entered college at the University of West Georgia. He has now been the
head coach of the “Riverwood Rapids” for four seasons and is excited for the upcoming season
this summer. Along with improving the team's swimming technique, he also makes a constant
effort to make sure that every kid on his team feels included and valued. He does this during his
practices and meets, but even takes it a step further by taking the team out to Stevie B’s pizza
after each meet. Schrader is sure that he will continue coaching into adulthood, as he finds it just
as rewarding to himself as he does to his team.

“The extra time and effort that Coach Mcnight put in made a bigger difference to me than he
will ever know,” stated Schrader. “I have no idea what these kids deal with on a daily basis, so I
try to make the little time they have with me as impactful and positive as possible.”

Katherine Daily, a long time close friend of and classmate of Schrader, agreed that he can
connect with just about anyone. “He quickly makes a connection with anyone over a very short
period of time, even if it’s just starting a conversation with someone new in the elevator,” she
explained. “He is always eager to include everyone in conversations or groups in class too, and
it is obvious that he never wants anyone to feel left out.”

Schrader feels confident that there were also positive aspects that came from his constant
relocating growing up. He explained that living all over the country forced him to meet all
different kinds of people, and gave him perspective that he would not have otherwise had. He
also feels that this helped him become much more outgoing and comfortable with new people.
This helps him in his daily life as a student, and in connecting with his swim team.