Rotary Club’s Salute to Academy Appointees a ‘Major’ Event

She spoke to a group of young people who are about to enter one of this country’s military academies, and it’s difficult to imagine a more inspirational presentation than that given by Maj. Janell Hanf in addressing the Rotary Club of San Marino.
It’s one of the group’s trademark events, Rotary’s annual salute to the military academies, and though it was the latest in a too-long list of virtual presentations, Hanf’s words penetrated the digital boundaries between herself and the young people about to embark on their service to the red, white and blue — three significant colors, as she would eventually explain.
Hanf graduated from Vista’s Rancho Buena Vista High School in 2006 and entered the United States Naval Academy, graduating in 2010. She completed her master’s degree in systems analysis from Naval Postgraduate School in 2017 and just last month was promoted to the rank of major in the United States Marine Corps, an experience that was lapped up by the appointees who watched her presentation.
“Your path of success in high school has gotten you here, but the road ahead will be challenging,” said Hanf. “You will fail. Don’t be afraid of failure. Try new things and stretch yourself. You will grow and learn more from your failures than your successes.”
Hanf provided a personal example of that lesson.
“My first year at Annapolis, I threw myself into failure by trying a sport I had no background in,” she explained. “I grew up in San Diego County. In high school, I played water polo and swam competitively. Outside of occasional Friday night skates with my friends, I had barely ice-skated in my life. They started a women’s ice hockey team and I wanted to play. So I did. I was terrible at ice hockey. If you were to look at my statistics … yeah, don’t even look for them. I had no stats. I didn’t even score once. I don’t think I even had a single assist. But I was out there every game. I would aggressively throw myself from one corner of the ice to the other to hold my position and stay with my opponent as best I could.”
Her apparent futility, however, paid an eventual dividend.
“That season, I learned and grew as an athlete and as a teammate,” Hanf explained. “Taking myself so far out of my comfort zone made me a better midshipman, a better warrior, more prepared for the rigors of Marine Corps Officer training in Quantico. Thanks to hockey, I wasn’t intimidated by aggressive or physically demanding pugilistic stick bouts or ground fighting. Even if I played poorly in a match and royally lost, even if I was matched against someone who was significantly out of my weight class, it was just like hockey: ‘You’re up! Get out there and go for it.’”
She also mentioned the lessons learned from others in the academy and the value of working together.
“You’re about to meet, work with and train with the best from all around the world,” Hanf said. “No matter how good you are, you will meet others who are smarter, faster and stronger. From Day 1, Minute 1, remember, you are a team. You can’t succeed alone and you need to help each other. The relationships you build will follow you into your military career. We all have different functions and we’re all part of the team. Your service academy path will set you up for massive success. Be on the lookout for opportunities to pay it forward. You’ve been tremendously blessed to get where you are. Be the person that helps inspire others along their journey. Be proud, but humble. At the end of the day, we’re all teammates who are willing to serve and dedicate our lives to this nation. You may spend years cheering, ‘Go Navy,’ ‘Go Army’ or ‘Go Air Force,’ but at the end of the day, it’s about the red, white, and blue. That’s why I picked red, white and blue for my class ring, and not just blue and gold.” As she made that declaration, Hanf raised her ring to the camera to illustrate the point.
She then explained what she called her “Three Rs of My Enduring Guidance,” which she identified as Resiliency, Relentless Optimism and Reliability. Hanf offered an example for each point, her treatise on reliability being among the most poignant.
“Of the latter, Reliability — ‘Do the best you can each day,’ she said. “One of my favorite phrases is ‘Shoot your average.’ It comes from the advice of a Naval Academy marksmanship coach who needed to get his team to calm down during a tough match. I’ve used that exact mantra in my head during annual pistol qualifications and it helps me control my breathing, focus on the fundamentals and shoot excellent. Find the tricks that work for you and help you keep cool and perform under stressful conditions.”
She informed the outgoing seniors that they are “about to join a special new family — the alumni of service academies are a distinguished and prestigious group.”
“But remember: You wouldn’t be here without your parents and family,” Hanf said. “Your friends, your teachers, tutors, coaches, mentors and those who developed you personally to reach this stage. Thank them. Ask for their help. Keep in touch with them. When you face challenges, seek their counsel. Service ends some day. Service may bring you back to serve near your hometown. Remember those who were there before your journey started and cultivate strong relationships so they’re still there after your service journey ends.”
Hanf’s connection with the Rotary Club of San Marino is a familial one. She is married to Philip Hanf, a 2007 graduate of San Marino High School and 2011 graduate of Tulane University, who is an infantry officer serving as company commander with the 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, which recently deployed to Okinawa. They have a 5-year-old son. Philip’s grandfather, Emile Bayle, is a Rotarian and former president of the club.
Virtual attendees included Kurtis Tsai, a 2020 graduate of San Marino High School who is heading to West Point; Steven Torres, a graduate of Mark Keppel High School, who will attend the United States Air Force Academy; Naphtali Teran, a graduate of Claremont High School, who will attend the United States Military Academy at West Point; and Joyce Lee, a graduate of the California Academy of Mathematics and Science, who will attend the United States Coast Guard Academy.