For Tarik Jensen, growing up in Liberty Lake has shaped his past and continues to influence his future.

A 2010 Central Valley graduate, Jensen is about to graduate from Washington State University in accounting.  While Jensen is excited to graduate, he is also looking forward to becoming a commissioned officer in the United States Army.

"Growing up in Liberty Lake really shaped my sense of adventure and helped me decide to pursue a career in the Army," he said.

Jensen grew up in Liberty Lake before it was a city. He even remembers when there was no elementary school - but just barely.  

"I remember when it was a dirt road to the Country Vista neighborhood. There was no Safeway or Albertsons or City Hall. It was just farm fields. … There was a lot of space for me to play outdoors and ride my bike. I spent a lot of time playing where the elementary school is now."

Jensen fondly recalls swimming and wakeboarding on the lake, hiking at the county park, riding his dirt bike and four-wheeler and riding his bicycle with friends.  

For Cheri Jensen, his mom, the decision to settle in Liberty Lake - the same community where she grew up - was deliberate.  

"My husband and I decided to settle in Liberty Lake because we felt like our kids could play outside and be safe," she said. "… I felt like we could let him ride his bike and go swimming.  Time to play freely is so important. Not every moment of your day needs to be scheduled. … Kids need the ability to think and make decisions and have that freedom."

Cheri credits her husband, and Tarik Jensen's dad, Gary, for creating in him a love of the outdoors.  She remembers countless camping trips, bon fires and days spent at the lake. Her favorite memories are time spent on the beach catching crawdads and sitting around the camp fire.  

Today, Jensen's adventurous spirit is focused on a military path. He originally decided to pursue ROTC because he wanted to go into the military and college. Jensen ultimately enlisted in the Army reserves, went through basic training, and then started school at WSU and joined Army ROTC.  

His favorite part of ROTC is the camaraderie and the ability to stay active. He will very much miss the friends he's made through the program.

ROTC also afforded Jensen some pretty adventurous experiences as well. In 2013, he attended airborne school at Fort Benning in Georgia. The three-week course focused on parachute training.

In 2014, Jensen was part of a leadership development assessment course at Fort Knox in Kentucky.  He describes it as a culminating project for ROTC.  

"It's a lot of problem solving and taking on different leadership roles," Jensen said.

Participants are assessed on how they perform in given situations and graded on their leadership abilities.  

"It's a bit of a vetting process for what you will be allowed to do in the Army later," he explained. "A higher score gives you a greater chance of pursuing the branch of the Army you would like to be in."

For Jensen, he will be off soon after graduation to pursue explosive ordnance disposal. It is a very difficult program to get into, but Jensen believes in its importance.  

"It's a very important skill considering the conflicts we are in … and it allows me to keep my friends safe," he said.

Jensen credits his parents with helping him pursue his dream of joining the Army, serving his country and ultimately being accepted into the explosive ordnance disposal program.

"My parents pushed me to be active and really helped give me the drive to do what I do now," he said. "Both are really supportive and very proud of me." 

Cheri reiterates what Jensen already knows.  

"It was tough at first," she said. "He strongly believed that he wanted to join the military, but I trust his decision now. He's serving a purpose that he believes in. We are both very proud of him."

Cheri also believes that her son's love for his community drives him to give back.  She realizes too that he understands the importance of belonging to a community, making the best of it and being proud of it.  

Jensen acknowledges that sense of community that his mother knows is so strong in him, something he experienced growing up in Liberty Lake.  

"Because it was a small town atmosphere, we had similar values," he said. "Family was important to everyone, and we all kind of watched out for each other. That was really important."

After his commissioning, Jensen will head off for the first of his two-part training in Fort Lee, Virginia.  After 19 weeks there, he will move onto Eglind Air Force Base in Florida to complete the remaining 56 weeks of training. From there, he will graduate and receive his assignment. He doesn't yet know what that will be.  

While Jensen is very excited to move on and experience a "change of pace," he is also looking forward to moving to the east coast and experiencing something new. He's always looking forward to the next adventure.  

His advice for the kids of Liberty Lake?  

"Get outside! You gain a lot … from getting outside and experiencing life and meeting people."