TAMPA, Fla. — A USF graduate is currently training to be an officer in the Navy. Spectrum Bay News 9's Erin Murray spoke to him about a life in service amid the coronavirus pandemic. 

"I would say it is going pretty well here. I am having a good time. I feel like I have learned a lot, I feel like I have changed a lot, and grown a lot as a person," U.S. Navy Officer Candidate Raymond DeCamillis said. 

DeCamillis grew up in Manatee County and graduated from USF with a chemical engineering degree. He said life lessons from the Bay area help him every day up in Rhode Island. 

"When I played football at Braden River High School, growing up there, I really learned to have like a never quit mentality, just keep pushing, just keep trying until it is over. And I think that has really helped me a lot here, compared to if I had never done that. I might not have that toughness that I learned from football," he expressed. 

That kind of toughness has also helped him prepare to ready for the unexpected — especially during a pandemic. 

"It is definitely seems like there is a lot of stuff that we are doing where we are kind of learning on the fly, and doing new stuff every class as we learn lessons from previous classes. Because we really are only the fifth or sixth class who has had to go through the entire COVID experience.” 

DeCamillis is set to graduate as an officer at the end of September. While this experience is sure to take him far and wide, he keeps home close to his heart. 

"Yeah I miss home every single day."

After graduating, DeCamillis will get to return home for a few days before his next assignment.