TYLER, Texas — Hailey Ray, a Tyler Junior College Apache Belle, was sworn into the United States Navy on January 8 and it was one of the proudest moments of her life.
Some of the first people she told about her acceptance into the navy were her fellow dancers.
"Lots of them were excited for me and I was very happy that they weren't upset with me for leaving but they were more proud of me," said Ray.
Ray is a freshman at TJC and was born and raised in Tyler.
Being from East Texas, she not only wants to represent the region well, but her fellow Belles, as well.
"It was a very hard decision for me to make between staying another year and delaying my process and joining the Navy or just going ahead and doing it," said Ray. "That's where I had to really pray on it and just see what God was telling me."
The support she's getting from her teammates means a lot to Ray and the other Belles are amazed at what she's doing.
"To have one of our people, like make that choice and want to serve our country, it's a huge honor and we can't help but be absolutely thrilled for her," said Apache Belle Chloe Walker.
Ray says she wants to be a police officer once she returns from the Navy.
She will spend one more semester at TJC before shipping out on May 27.