I grew up wanting to be a surgeon. As I have gotten older, my experiences have pushed me to change my path many times. Though I am most of the way through an engineering degree, I am afraid that a career as an engineer would leave me in a cold, broom-closet office, cramming numbers for a customer or boss. I decided that I have a passion for helping people, especially those I am close to in my community and in the Guard. The IPAP opportunity allows me to pursue a long lost dream, provide a better quality of life for my family, and let me serve the people around me.
I was born in Glencoe, Minnesota in 1986 to my parents, Seshan and Tracy Krishnan - respectively a manager for a coatings science laboratory and a former member of the defense intelligence field, they continue to be my biggest role models. Growing up, their love and attention has helped shape me into the man I am, showing me the value of hard work and the need to pursue a great many interests. I can safely say it is thanks to their hard work and guidance that I found myself graduating with AP honors from high school, and eventually receiving my AS in Engineering in 2012 from Calhoin Community College (with a major in Aerospace Engineering).
My life is not completely filled with academics, however. One of my particular interests is automobiles, particularly trucks and motorcycles; I am especially interested in anything that goes fast or can take a lot of punishment. I have a 2004 Honda Shadow motorcycle that I like to maintain and ride as a hobby, and a 2003 Ford F250 Turbodiesel. Fortunately, I am lucky enough to share my hobbies and my life with my wife Karissa and two boys, Aden and Jayman, who are all staying with me in San Antonio off-post while I complete the IPAP.
My life inevitably drew me toward military service. I enlisted as a medic in the Alabama Army National Guard in 2005, and was immediately deployed to Iraq in June 2006 upon completion of my IET. From that point until October 2007, I deployed as a medic for the 128th Military Police Co., becoming a weekend warrior from that point until June 2009, becoming a military policeman during that time. After that, I became a National Guard Recruiter and held that active duty position until May of 2010, when I transferred to the State Surgeon’s Office as a Medical Readiness Liaison NCO for the north Alabama region. I was responsible for most of the medical readiness logistics for ~1800 soldiers as well as the training of 15-20 medics. Col. John McGuinness, the State Surgeon of Alabama, has been my boss for the past few years, and kept pushing me to continue my education and to consider IPAP or medical school. Throughout my seven years of service, I learned a great deal about leadership, teamwork and responsibility, skills that I believe would suit me well in the private sector, particularly after completing the IPAP.
Currently, my short-term goal is to learn as much as I can and successfully complete Phase I of the IPAP program, with the eventual goal of completing the entirety of the IPAP and PANCE. Having those certifications under my belt, I wish to return to the Alabama National Guard, going back to weekend service, while also serving as a civilian PA and advancing my career in the private sector.
