A new life': Norwin grad serves as Navy aviation electronics technician

A 2020 graduate of Norwin High School is expanding his worldview outside of Southwestern Pennsylvania with the U.S. Navy.

Petty Officer Second Class Blake Stoffel has been to Portugal, Italy and Iceland during his four years in the military. He said Portugal was his favorite so far.

“For me, serving in the Navy means a new life,” he said. “The Navy has given me the opportunities and experiences to reinvent myself. I wouldn’t be who I am without it.”

Stoffel is an aviation electronics technician assigned to a patrol squadron at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island off the coast of the state of Washington. Members of the squadron fly and maintain the Navy’s multi-mission maritime aircraft, which are used to monitor the world’s oceans and conduct reconnaissance missions, according to the military.

He credited his mother Brandi with helping make his military career possible through her support, which sometimes comes in the form of cookies on deployment.

“A lesson that I carry with me is that dreams don’t have to be dreams,” Stoffel said. “It’s cliché but it’s true that you can do anything you put your mind to, both professionally and personally. It pushes me and has helped me achieve things faster than I normally would have. It’s the same outside the Navy too. Having that mindset helps me not settle for less.”