Turning steps into miles -- student sheds 90 pounds for Air Force dream

About a year ago, 18-year-old Hilton Head Island High School student Jaquan Rivers decided he wanted to join the Air Force after graduation.

But Jaquan, now a senior, faced one big problem: He had been significantly overweight and sedentary most of his life -- attributes that "weren't going to help me get into the military," he said. "I was sick of being big."

Jaquan, who spent four years in the school's ROTC program, decided he would do whatever it took to get physically fit.

In January, when he weighed more than 300 pounds, heset out on a 3-mile loop. He started out jogging, but walked after he grew tired. Though it was tough, Jaquan stuck with the routine, making running a daily part of his life.

By February, he could run six miles at once. "It hurt, but I did it," he said.

Jaquan, who works part-time at McDonald's, cut fattening foods from his diet and started drinking more water. At work, he started eating salads instead of hamburgers. He brings fruits and vegetables to school for lunch. He grills fish or chicken for dinner.

He started cross-training. He did push-ups and sit-ups. He did "stadiums" -- running up and down the high school bleachers repeatedly.

And he's coming closerto his goal of optimal physical fitness. The aspiring airman has lost 90 pounds over the past six months. Currently about 210 pounds, Jaquan would like to get down to about 180.

Jaquan plans to talk to a recruiter in the coming weeks and eventually take the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery, the military entrance exam.

He said hestill hasstudying to do for the written exam, but he's confident about his physical fitness.

"All you do is exercise more and eat less," Jaquan said Thursday in the high school's ROTC classroom. He laughed as he flipped through a photo album filled with pictures of his former self. "There's no magic to it."

Though his strategy was simple, Jaquan said he had plenty of support from friends and family, including from his 25-year-old cousin, Tiffany Young, who helped him get started, and from his ROTC teacher, Lt. Cmdr. Matthew Pheiffer.

"Commander inspired me. He told me about the Air Force. He said I could get to travel to places I've never been," Jaquan, a Hilton Head native, said. "I want to explore the world and get an education. He told me I could do it."

Pheiffer, who described Jaquan as "a well-mannered kid with a heart of gold," said the student's motivation and dedication led to his success.

"He'd always been a big guy, then he started eating healthy and running 12 miles a day," he said. "Who has that kind of mental discipline?"

Pheiffer said students who once teased Jaquan about his weight now look to him for inspiration.

But his fellow students aren't the only ones being inspired.

Jaquan's mother, Nicole Young, said her son has inspired her and his 14-year-old brother to become healthier.

"I'm so proud of him," she said. "He's so motivated. When he sets his mind to do something, he keeps going until he does it. If someone tells him 'Oh, you can't do that,' he'll say 'I'm going to prove you wrong.' "

Young, who said ROTC helped motivate her son and keep him on the right track, said she supports Jaquan's eagerness to join the military.

"I really hope he gets into the Air Force," she said. "He's made it this far."

Jaquan's cousin, Tiffany, who ran with Jaquan during his first few weeks in January and still occasionally runs with him, is confident her cousin will realize his dream.

"He has a really strong will," she said. "He's determined to get into the Air Force. I know he's going to get it."

Jaquan said he doesn't plan to slow down any time soon. He has advice for people facing challenges, weight loss or otherwise: "Don't ever say you can't do it," he said. "Don't ever give up. You can do it."