Page 90 - Senior Link Magazine Fall 2023 - Online Magazine

Lynnae Ripley "The Ripley Effect" of a
Lynnae Ripley
rom the rugged terrain of
mountains and lowlands
Fin Ethiopia, to shimmering
skyscrapers and bustling city life
in New York, to the wild west
of Texas tumbleweeds, Lynnae
Ripley has inadvertently traveled
thousands of miles throughout
her journey of life and adventure.
Along the way, she has collected
priceless gems of wisdom as she
learned perseverance, willpower,
and grit. During one season of
her life, she served in the United
States Army and garnered
dozens of life lessons that she has
carried with her and now passes
on to her students.
Ripley was born in North Dakota
on May 30, 1968, and, three
months later, was adopted by a
missionary family in Ethiopia.
She lived in Ethiopia with
her parents and three siblings
throughout the majority of her
childhood. In January of 1989,
she took one of the first major
leaps of her life and moved away
90 Lubbock Senior Link
Military Experience
by Christiana McCourt
from Ethiopia to Brenham,
TX. There, she began
her education at Blinn
Community College.
Ripley’s military career
began in 1989 when she
was sworn into the US Army.
She received boot camp training
at Fort Dix in New Jersey.
When asked about her first
day of basic, she shared about
the chaos that surrounded her
and the other soldiers as they
progressed down an assembly
line to get their boots, uniforms,
and more. Throughout basic, it
was rainy and cold; however,
the dreary environment fostered
an atmosphere of community.
The soldiers celebrated together
and were punished together.
During her experience, Ripley
learned the importance of
mental toughness and hope
as she persevered through the
challenges alongside her peers
and fought to achieve her goal of
graduation.
Ripley graduated boot camp in
September 1989 and moved to
Monterey, California to receive
advanced training. Originally,
she wanted to be a linguistic
translator for interrogation.
She was inspired to pursue this
unique pathway because of her
father. He served as a missionary
in Africa for over 50 years and,
while there, worked to translate
the Bible for Muslim tribes.
However, due to unforeseen
circumstances, she transferred
to Georgia to be trained in
computer programming instead.
Some medical issues led to an
honorable discharge in 1990 as
an E3 (Private First Class), and
her service in the Army came to a
close. However, even though that
chapter ended, Ripley continues
to share all she learned during
her experiences.
After being discharged, Ripley
moved to central New York and
dipped her toe in the hustle and
bustle of city life. Eventually, she
moved to Lubbock, where she
reunited with her brother. While
in Lubbock, she attended Texas
Tech University and was a single
mother to her two daughters,
Dominique (Leija) Markowsky
and Demi Leija. Despite many
difficulties, she persevered
and graduated, and then she
began working at Estacado
High School. During Ripley's