After a long career as an active duty airman in the United States Air Force, Cassopolis High School graduate Michelle J. Ward has decided to leave the military in order to be a stay-at-home mom.

The 33-year-old is the mother of Laila, who was born in 2010. Ward’s grandmother, Lurean Carter, lives in Niles.

Ward was honored for her service during a recent ceremony.

Ward started her military career as a member of the security response team at Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota in 2001 before becoming a military training leader at Sheppard Air Force Base in Texas and later a military justice paralegal in Lackland Air Force Base in Texas.

“My passion for helping others is what kept me in the military for so long,” Ward said. “I love having the ability to motivate and inspire people to do better, even today.”

At the end of her career with the U.S. Air Force, Ward was a First Sergeant whose main responsibility was to act as an advisor to the commander on all enlisted matters, meaning she would play the role of mentor, counselor and disciplinarian to her fellow service members in need.

During her time in the military, Ward earned several degrees, including ones in criminal justice, education and training management, paralegal studies, human resource management and behavioral science.

Ward lives in Irvine California and has been accepted into the doctoral program at the Chicago School of Professional Psychology.