This summer consisted of large amounts of Netflix, food, and 2k for many teenagers.

Rising promptly out of bed around noon and returning to the comfort of covers and pillows at approximately 1 p.m. to watch an episode of “Arrow” or “The Flash,” after indulging in Cinnamon Toast Crunch and coffee is usually how the average morning went. Battling on 2k, exchanging smack talk, yells of frustration or glee, blood, sweat, and tears were all commonalities.

Peyton Ultican decided against this chill summer enjoyed by many and instead worked toward his career for after high school. Ultican can now be seen gracing posters for the National Guard in the hallways of Blue Springs South. While many of us spent the summer on our buttocks, Ultican attended basic training for the Army National Guard for 10 weeks in the swampy, heatstroke inducing Fort Jackson, South Carolina.

This is Ultican’s major commitment prevailing. His commitment to South and the people in it. His commitment to protect the defenseless. His commitment to ensure freedom.

“I’ve always wanted to serve in the military in some way, shape, or form so that way I could help out with not only serving my nation but serving the others who I love as well, and to be able to get in there and get it done with as soon as possible so that I can have a longer military career in the end,” Ultican said.

While many were nestled in their covers and eating popcorn, Ultican was bettering himself. By completing basic training, Ultican became an official member of the U.S. military.

But that came with actual blood, sweat and tears, unlike a 2k record. Basic training is physically demanding and required of all military personnel. Ultican vividly remembers what he calls the most difficult experience of basic training.

“Victory Forge, which was one of our final weeks during basic training in which we went out in the field and slept there for several days. We would dig out a trench and that would be your home literally for those four days. You would eat, you would sleep, you would do everything in there. And then after we finished up, we had to quickly fill up our holes again to make it look like we were never even there and then we started on our march back home, which was a 12-mile march,” Ultican said.

Although most wouldn’t feel terrible about not having to sleep in trenches over the summer, Ultican deemed it necessary to make his mark on the world. Strong values were instilled in him that he is applying to his everyday life.

“The ability to self-motivate to be able to accomplish anything. They really enforced during basic training the idea that it doesn’t matter how difficult something looks, it can still be accomplished if you are willing to put your mind and your heart to it,” Ultican said.

He also brought back a message for those who did nothing this summer.

“You have to be the one to push yourself to be able to accomplish anything that you can. You are not always going to have somebody there to help push you to do something; you need to learn to take initiative and do something on your own,” he said.

It is common knowledge that Ultican is a man of deep love and respect. For example, when he is seen in the hallways, a simple “wassup” will never suffice. Ultican is a hugger who will give hugs in ways that express extreme love. He is a person who is nearly impossible to not like and a man of high values and standards. Lastly, Ultican is a plans man. After high school, Ultican says he will report to Fort Lee in Virginia to begin Advanced Individual Training to be trained in his military occupation specialty which will be the paralegal field.