Service Bound, Family Supported 

Greensboro College Early College graduate Dormileet Bernardino Vargas is headed to the Army, where she hopes to also serve as a combat medic.  

Dormileet Bernardino Vargas was a driven, resilient, and thoughtful student. The introvert just needed a little extra support and the confidence from a few small wins to prove to herself that she could accomplish whatever she set her mind to.  

The Greensboro College Middle College graduate will enlist in the Army, where she hopes to also serve as a combat medic. Both her military service and her area of focus are heavily influenced by her parents. Her father was in the military in Mexico, and her mother had hoped to be a healthcare worker in Mexico but was unable to pursue it once they moved to the U.S. However, the move meant that their children could do more than just dream. Their dreams could be achievable.   

GCS provides multiple learning options for students like Vargas who thrive under more guidance and smaller settings. After two years at Western High School, she wanted to be more prepared for college. She liked the smaller class sizes at Greensboro College Middle College and that teachers knew their students’ names. She also liked being able to take college classes while still in high school.  

While there, she was triple enrolled, taking Health Science II at UNCG Middle College, while also completing four college courses at Greensboro College. She learned to believe in herself after completing these challenging courses. 

That experience showed me that I can excel anywhere,” she says. “In high school, college, or even the military, I know I belong.”  

That sense of belonging was reinforced by her school’s motto: “You Belong Here.” Her school counselor, Melissa Clowe, played a pivotal role in helping her decide what to do after high school. Steady involvement and encouragement helped turn Vargas’ dreams into actionable plans.  

“She’s always supporting me and encouraging me to achieve more,” Vargas says.  

Clowe says this evolution came with building a rapport with Vargas so that she felt comfortable opening up. Once she did, she had the confidence to pursue her goals.  

Over time, she has really evolved into a student who not only has clear goals, but actively takes steps to pursue them,” Clowe says. “She advocates for herself in every opportunity that could expand her knowledge, especially in the medical field.” 

Clowe also says it was Vargas who reached out to an Army recruiter once she decided to be a combat medic.  

“Naturally, she was nervous about meeting with them on her own, but she didn’t let that stop her,” Clowe says. 

Together, they met with the recruiter at Greensboro College Middle College. 

“That moment really reflected her growth, facing uncertainty, seeking support and continuing to move forward,” Clowe says. 

*** 

Vargas admits that she coasted through elementary school.  

“I wouldn’t try, honestly,” she says. “But in middle school, I think I started to gain a whole new mindset of how to achieve higher or better goals for myself.”  

It was her father who challenged her. 

He started talking to me about the military. Even though I wasn’t interested, he kept telling me that I could do better and that I could do so many things. It changed my mindset.” 

She started looking at other ways to approach difficult class work. She also asked her teachers for help, and some even helped ease her exam anxiety. Their praise also motivated her to keep doing better.  

Vargas says her entire family — even her sisters — are supporting her dreams in various ways. She is nervous about both the physical and mental demands of basic training. Her dad trains with her to help prepare for it. She knows she must be able to run 2 miles. She’s got the first one down and is working towards mastering the second one. She and her father run together or go to the gym on his days off. Initially, she hated running. But now that she’s getting used to it, she likes it.  

She’s also trying to get mentally prepared for being asked to do hard things, and she knows that military officers won’t be as gentle as her family or teachers.  

When she starts getting stressed about basic training, her mother and sisters step in to help ease her mind. Vargas has a younger sister and an older one. Both share words of encouragement when she needs to hear them the most.  

“Getting closer with my family, that was really rewarding to me because when I decided to join the military and to continue with healthcare as well, they all — we all — came together and they started encouraging me even more.” 

Her family and the sacrifices her parents have made are behind her desire to help others, which is another reason she’s joining the military. 

“I really like helping others. I think of helping others as if I were helping my family because they’ve been through so much since coming here,” she says. “I feel like if I’m helping others, I am also helping my family.” 

 

 

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