FORT KNOX, Ky.- Childhood for Cadet Jordyn Hoit was nothing short of challenging. Placed in foster care when she was a baby, Hoit navigated the challenges of a complicated system before being adopted and brought into a home that encouraged her bravery, confidence, and empathy.

“They are my true family,” Hoit said, from Hofstra University, assigned to 9th Regiment, Advanced Camp. “I really wanted to find a way to make them proud and give back to them for everything that they have given me in life, especially the stability and everything.”

Hoit’s adoptive family has a big history of military service and she realized one way to carry on and live out the family legacy was joining the Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps.

Being in the foster care system, Hoit learned a lot but the one thing that stuck with her was fearlessness and trust: in herself and others.

“Having that personal courage was really important to me growing up because it kind of dictated everything I did,” Hoit said. “I’ve had all sorts of experiences and if I didn’t have the personal courage to go out there and do those things; it opened so many doors to me that would not have been opened otherwise.”

The lessons she learned in her childhood have impacted the way she shows up now as an adult, especially remembering that being adopted has no bearing on her personal worth and confidence.

Hoit’s dad is one of her biggest role models, representing resilience to her. Hoit recalls how she has watched her dad go through extremely tough situations but always come out smiling on the other side; a trait she plans on taking into her life experiences.

“I’ve learned from my dad that a smile, even when you don’t really feel like smiling, can turn not only your day around, but somebody else’s,” Hoit said.

Because of her background, she knows and understands that everyone has different backgrounds and circumstances that make people who they are and to never judge the way they respond in stressful situations.

“It’s being able to learn that when people are hurting that’s not always a time to get defensive or to fight back,” Hoit said.