One moment you’re on an island looking at the Philippine Sea and the next you’re in the small town of North Platte. Just a month ago junior, Isabella Whitney returned to the states from Okinawa, Japan after spending six years on a military base. 

The 16-year-old spent six years in Japan on Kadena Air Base while her dad finished his Marine Corps career before retiring this year. When Neil Whitney, Isabella’s father retired, it forced his family to move off the base.

Whitney’s normal day in Japan wasn’t as different as one might imagine. “I would wake up at 5:30 a.m. since school started at 7:15, and go through my seven period classes,” she said. Extracurricular activities were also provided for the students going to school. “After school I would go to practice, which I was involved in cross country and soccer,” Whitney said.

 Having an education was important to Secretary of Defense Ash Carter. “Every class was taught at an advanced level,” Whitney said. The high school she went to had 500-600 students. They were taught by the Department of Defense. 

Living overseas meant Whitney and her family had to follow Japan’s laws.“We weren’t allowed to drive off base until we were 18,” Whitney said. Also, “We were allowed to leave the base, but there were curfews. You couldn’t be off base after 12 a.m. or you would get in lots of trouble and possibly arrested,” Whitney said. According to Whitney, everything was closely watched by the Kadena Disciplinary Program where every kid was closely watched over.