Navigating the High Stakes

Navy Veteran and Equine Business Student Kaitlyn Hill Embarks on a New Mission in the Classroom

Travelling 60,000 miles across the oceans of the world and overseeing high-pressure rescue missions only scratch the surface of former United States Navy Quartermaster and equine business student Kaitlyn Hill’s trailblazing journey. In our interview with Hill, she shares how her military mindset has helped her persevere through the new challenges of readjusting to civilian life, finding a new purpose and pursuing an undergraduate degree at the College of Business at the University of Louisville.

College of Business: Please share more about your background and upbringing.  

Kaitlyn Hill: I was born in Atlanta in February 2002. My mother at the time was in the Air Force, not necessarily by choice but it was the only option at that stage of her life to be stable. Less than a year after I was born, my mother [was] reassigned at Elmendorf Air Force Base in Anchorage, AK. We spent six years in Alaska, where my younger sister was born in 2005. In 2007, we moved to Tucson, AZ, and have [resided there] since.   

Not long after getting to Arizona, my mother and father separated. My mother also separated from the Air Force at that time, and we [then] moved to Phoenix. We struggled to make ends meet, even though my sister and I didn’t notice as much as we do now. But in 2013, my mother met Jeff, and she married him in 2015. He was the glue and stability in our family and still is. He is the father we wish we had. We settled in Scottsdale, Arizona and found a church and a new life together.   

I would say my high school years were very ordinary. I just wanted to be done, but I had no idea what I wanted to do. In my junior year of high school, I took a psychology class and the teacher often shared that her son was in the Navy. From the beginning, I felt it was calling me so much. My senior year was [in] 2020; you can imagine how that went. No prom, no graduation, no school. It made me very angry, and it felt like it all was for nothing, so I wanted to leave. The only thing I would miss was [my] family. I left for boot camp in October of 2020. 

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College of Business: What interested you in joining the armed forces?  

Kaitlyn Hill: The biggest reason was travel. I was drawn to the Navy for the adventure. It’s the biggest branch, and life out at sea seemed like a challenge I wanted to take on. I ended up spending half a year in Japan, crossed the Pacific Ocean three times, visited Hawaii, Alaska and more. I also hoped it would change me, making me a stronger [and] more independent person. Obviously, the educational benefits were the other big reason, and so I thought, ‘What’s six years? And maybe by then I will know what I want to do.’  

College of Business: You went from navigating ships to studying equine business. What led you to make the switch?

Kaitlyn Hill: In my early years of service, I began following horse racing. I learned about Secretariat many years before and have been following the modern era ever since. In 2022, I had the opportunity to invest in a micro-share of a racehorse that was unnamed at the time. I already owned shares in some other racehorses, but this one truly brought me into the sport. He eventually was named by the group, and it’s a name you may recognize: Seize the Grey, the Preakness Stakes Winner. In 2024, he took many other owners and me on a wild ride by winning and losing. Watching him race his three-year-old year made me fall in love with the sport – I knew I was hooked.

When I was getting ready to leave, I made a promise [to myself]: ‘You just worked [hard] for six years. Use that college money for something you love, not something that will make you a lot of money.’ It is hard to get a job that pays enough to afford living these days, so go do something you love, not something you hate. I felt drawn to this career and knew I would figure it out. It was a calling, per se. 

College of Business: Tell us about a moment from your service in the Navy that you are proud of.  

Kaitlyn Hill: There are many moments from my career that I am proud of and proud to have been part of. [I’ve] won multiple awards, made rank and traveled the ocean. I did over 60,000 miles on the ocean during my time, all on board a ship I love to pieces and always will.   

When my third Commanding Officer (CO) took over the ship, one of his first questions was: “Why don’t we fly the battle flag on this ship?” And we straight-up told him because it was ugly. We showed it to him, and he completely agreed. The battle flag is a huge sense of pride for a ship. The tradition has roots in the early days of the American Republic and the Revolutionary War.

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The new CO held a contest for [a new] battle flag [for the] USS Curtis Wilbur. I was one of the people who submitted a design, and I won. Today and until that ship decommissions, as promised by the CO, my flag will fly. Everyone loved it, and we fly it whenever we get the chance, even when we pull into port. The flag is 38 feet long and over 20 feet wide. And just recently, I found out they also made official crew gear with my design. It is something I am very proud to have been a part of.   

The second story happened on March 4, 2024, when we were recertifying the ship off the coast of San Diego. It was a very normal day, a normal watch and we were towing our sonar to test it. To put it simply, we were dragging a 1,000-foot cable out the back of our ship with sonar equipment at the end. The purpose is to look for subs, but if they are detected, they shoot the cable, not the ship. I was filling out my watch logs when a distress signal came over the main channel for San Diego. The coast guard was issuing a warning to all vessels of a vessel sinking at a certain latitude and longitude, and if there was anyone close by to offer assistance. 

In the blink of an eye, I was tasked with finding the location listed, and it turned out we were only 10 miles from them – the closest ones. We made the call to the CO, and within seconds, we were hauling 30 knots (approx. 28 mph) toward this sinking vessel. We got there right in time; three people were at the bow of their boat, almost 90% submerged. We got them onboard and, without the certification, [because] we were recertifying after drydock, we landed a Coast Guard helicopter and got them airlifted back to San Diego.

College of Business: Why did you choose the University of Louisville for your degree? 

Kaitlyn Hill: UofL offers the most comprehensive equine management degree in the perfect place to do it. I just knew I had to come here. This is the place to get an education and make connections within the industry. 

College of Business: How did you overcome the challenges that follow from transitioning out of military service and into civilian life? Who is or was your support system throughout that stage?  

Kaitlyn Hill: The biggest thing I had to deal with, and something a lot of service members deal with, is a loss of identity and purpose – missing the camaraderie. It’s one of those strange things that, while you were in, you had so many days you couldn’t wait to be done. But then, you miss it. I struggled to meet people and connect, and I didn’t make my first friend until February of this year.   

I also missed the sea life. I formed a big connection with the ocean and with my ship. I don’t miss the Navy; I miss the ocean. There is nothing more peaceful than nighttime 2,000 miles from land. There’s no light pollution – all the stars are out, [and there are] no phones. It’s the most peaceful time I’ve ever had. That is dearly missed. During my transition and my service, my mother was my rock. She was always there for me and to help me figure out life. 

College of Business: What is something you’ve done so far at UofL that made you feel like you’re on the right path?  

Kaitlyn Hill: I will always be proud of my service and the person I became. It never leaves you, the military mindset. I really felt I was on the right path when I started meeting industry people, and seeing all the options and possibilities out there.   

College of Business: What skills from the Navy do you use now that may come as a surprise to others?  

Kaitlyn Hill: This may not be so much a skill as a mindset I’ve learned. It takes a lot to stress me out, and school feels like a walk in the park. In the Navy, every sailor is a firefighter, and we are taught to deal with high-stress situations. Even day-to-day work is high-stakes and stressful, making college feel easy. I am not saying the schoolwork isn’t hard or that the curriculum is difficult to learn, I’m just saying the mindset I bring to it. In 2022, my ship had over 17,000 gallons of JP-5 jet fuel, which flooded a space containing electrical equipment. That is stressful. Other than that, it’s the basic stuff, working off little sleep and getting up early, etc.  

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College of Business: Who have been the most impactful figures for you throughout your career and college journey?  

Kaitlyn Hill: My mother. She has always supported me in everything I have done. She is the best.  

College of Business: What are you hoping to do in the racing industry?   

Kaitlyn Hill: I am keeping my options open, but I am very interested in working in bloodstock. Pedigrees and the business of breeding are very interesting to me. There are many options, and I haven’t quite figured it out, but I look forward to the future.  

College of Business: What would you share with another veteran thinking about going back to school?  

Kaitlyn Hill: If you are passionate about something, go after it. You spent years of your life serving your country [and you] deserve to use that money to get the degree you want. Chase your dreams.   

Are you ready to rank up your career potential? The University of Louisville College of Business Equine Industry degree and certificate programs are the only in the nation with AACSB accreditation. Our programs are offered online and on campus, housed just a few miles from historic Churchill Downs and are shaping students into in-demand industry experts. Learn more at: https://business.louisville.edu/equine-industry-program 

About the UofL College of Business: 

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