Peabody graduate reporting to basic training

PEABODY — Recent Peabody Veterans Memorial High School graduate Luiza Pinto will report to Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland in Texas for her basic training in the U.S. Air Force on Monday.

“I’m excited and I’m nervous. It’s a lot,” Pinto said.

She said she officially enlisted in the Air Force on June 28. She will spend two months at basic training in Texas and another four months at Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, Miss. for tech school, where she will train for air-traffic control.

Originally born in Vitoria, Espírito Santo, Brazil, Pinto moved to Peabody when she was 6 years old and has lived there ever since.

Pinto was a member of the PVMHS Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps during her four years of high school and said she decided to join the Air Force during her sophomore year.

“I’ve always wanted to travel and I’ve done ROTC throughout all of high school, so it’s kind of what made sense,” she said.

Besides being born in Brazil, she said she has not traveled much during her life.

“I’m just excited for the lifestyle. So, a lot of traveling,” Pinto said. “I want to see as much of the world as I can, and I will be able to by doing it.”

The “hands-on” relationship between the PVMHS AFJROTC instructors and the cadets helped prepare her for the Air Force, she said.

“They make sure that everyone is prepared to do anything, regardless if it’s college, a trade school, (or) going into military,” Pinto said.

The instructors hold a class for the cadets during their senior year to guide them into life after high school, she said.

“They talk one-on-one with every cadet that’s in their senior class — ‘What are you going to do? How are you going to better yourself by doing that? Are you prepared?’” she said. “They just help you do everything.”

Her favorite memory of the AFJROTC was winning first place at the 2023 JROTC Raider National Championships in Georgia during her senior year, she said.

“It was exciting. It was a lot of work (that) paid off,” Pinto said.

She advises any incoming PVMHS freshman, especially those who aspire to join the armed forces, to get involved during their time in school.

“Take advantage of everything they provide,” Pinto said.

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