By A/SLt Michelle Scott
Raven recruit Ordinary Seaman (OS) Ayse Golcek says her father was worried when she decided to apply for the Raven program.
Her father grew up in Turkey and was subject to compulsory military service in the Turkish Army as a young man. He released as soon as he could.
“My father was initially against me going into the Raven Program, or the military at all, but in the end he let me make my own decision,” she said.
OS Golcek is one of 41 recruits in the Raven Program, which introduces Aboriginal youth to a potential career in the Canadian Armed Forces.
She is half Turkish and half Inuit – her mother is Inuit. Living in Toronto has limited her exposure to the Inuit culture, a heritage she now wants to learn more about.
“In the past year, I've been looking more into my Indigenous side; it was part of the reason I chose Raven,” she said.
“The course was a good opportunity for me to learn more about my Indigenous background while also incorporating that with my military interest. Both things I didn't have back home.”
She was one of the first to arrive at Work Point, and her calm demeanor hid her nervousness.
“The military atmosphere was very different from what I'm used to, but that was the whole point,” she said.
“I was nervous about the physical training aspect and about pushing myself hard enough to make my teammates proud. But when I have a tough moment I just look at what I want to do for myself and my future, and I push…
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