Military Mia: Gutierrez First In Family To Attend College

Mia Gutierrez has witnessed some of the hardships military families endure. Her dad is in the Air Force and served in Iraq for nine months when she was younger. It’s what inspired her to want to become a doctor and help families like her own.

“My big reason was giving back to those who give back to us every day and who sacrifice for us every day. That just means so much more to me,” Gutierrez said. “I don’t know if it’s because I grew up around the military and I grew up around people who had to get deployed, who haven’t made it back, or don’t make it back. But it just means so much more to me being a doctor for those families.”

Gutierrez will be joining the ranks next fall. The infielder from Oro Valley, Arizona has committed to play for Army West Point. Gutierrez will be the first person in her family to attend college.

“It’s definitely like a huge deal for my family, especially now that I’m going to the academy,” she said. “Since I grew up in a military family, everybody at my dad’s base wants me to get them some shirts to wear.”

Gutierrez started playing softball when she was three. Her mom played softball and her dad played baseball and football. Her first travel team practiced nearly an hour away from her home. Her current travel team, AZ Rising GNR, is two hours from home.

“I think that has actually helped me academically, because I’ve been pushing myself more,” Gutierrez said. “Having to travel gets me more focused. I’d be getting home at one in the morning on a school night. I would need to do work in the car and study in the car to make sure I get things done.”

Gutierrez, a power hitter, primarily plays first and third, but has been practicing at second this season in preparation for college.

“I love to hit. The coaches asked me what my favorite position was, and I said, I don’t care. I just want to hit. You can put me anywhere,” she said. “But hitting is my thing. I feel like that is probably the best way that I can help my team.”

Gutierrez didn’t think she wanted to attend an academy until the recruiting coordinator for her travel team mentioned the idea.

“He said if I attended an academy I could be set up for life. You’ll be debt free. They’ll pay for med school,” Gutierrez said. “I definitely liked the sound of that, and he kind of initiated the contact with Army.”

The Army West Point coaches came to nearly every game Gutierrez played during the summer. She was impressed by the dedication they showed. After she attended a camp in Colorado, the Army coaches offered her a spot on the team.

“I just wasn’t sure because it’s a big commitment,” Gutierrez said. “But I talked to the head coach a little bit more about how long I’d have to serve and got a bunch of information. I went on my visit and got completely blown away by the campus. West Point just felt like home and I ended up committing during that visit.”

Gutierrez will have to serve five years in the Army once she graduates from West Point. She wants to be commissioned as a captain in the U.S. Army Medical Corps.

“If the medical corps situation doesn’t work out, then I want to be a medevac out of Blackhawks. So we’ll parachute out of Blackhawks,” she said. “I think I want to go to Australia to do that, which would be awesome. That is what my summers during college will look like and I am really excited about that and learning as much as I can.”

Gutierrez will be attending basic training in June, which includes six weeks of training in a variety of areas, including physical fitness, weapon handling and military values.

“We will be sleeping outside,” she said. “I’m kind of nervous because there’s bears, but I’ll figure it out.”

Attending basic training means Gutierrez won’t be playing travel ball this summer, which is a bittersweet turning point for the aspiring doctor.

“Obviously I’m sad that I’m not going to be with my team. The fall is probably my last time playing club,” she said. “But I’m definitely really excited for this next chapter of my life.”