Dragons Who Serve: Ally Kester

At first glance, Ally Kester blends in with any other MSU Moorhead student, walking the halls of Bridges or studying in the Dragon Cafe. But Ally's story goes beyond that of a typical student, tracing back to the blowing sands of an Iraq desert and serene mountains of South Korea.

While Ally was in the United States Army from 2016-2022, she was Corporal Justin Kester, 15-E; Unmanned Aircraft System Repairer.

Being in Al Asad, Iraq, for six months in 2016-2017 for Operation Inherent Resolve was at first a culture shock but turned into a journey of self-discovery. "If you looked out on the horizon, it was nothing but sand and flat like North Dakota; it sort of felt like purgatory," Ally says. "But once you fell into a routine, it was actually really nice. There was limited social media, just the bare necessities. Being cut off from the rest of the world was sobering."

Experiencing separation from family, isolation, depression, and gender dysphoria, Ally realized that she needed to live as her authentic self.

"I found out that I wanted to become a woman when I was one year into my six-year Army contract," Ally says. "I didn't feel safe for that entire time, and I also had to follow regulations and standards. So, I could not work towards changing my appearance to match my authentic self. Being a closeted trans woman in the military was really taxing my mental health."

It wasn't until near the end of her nine-month rotation in 2020-2021 at Camp Casey, South Korea, that Ally says she met with someone who specialized with individuals transitioning and got a medical diagnosis of gender dysphoria, which set her on track to receive the care she needed. During her last year in the military, Ally says she requested permission to transition, but it wasn't granted since the hormones would affect her body during training.

"I was allowed to seek counseling and get mental health assistance, but I was never fully granted permission to transition while in service, which is a major reason why I didn't reenlist," Ally says.

Her gender identity wasn't the only transition Ally went through. She also had to maneuver the transition from active duty to civilian to student.

"I didn't realize how emotionally detached and high-strung I was until I got out," Ally says. "It was a shock, like everything that I had achieved and worked for over the past six years didn't matter here. Rank was meaningless, my knowledge of the systems I worked on would become obsolete, my peers couldn't relate to what I experienced, and I just had a lot to mentally unpack and process."

At MSU Moorhead, in the Veteran Success Center, she has been able to connect with other students who understand what it is like to go from active duty to civilian to student. "When connecting with other Veterans, it doesn't matter what branch you are," she says, "just being able to talk to someone who knows what you're going through is really nice."

MSUM has been a safe space for Ally. She has been able to just live as herself. 

"I can't emphasize how much of a positive impact gender transition has had on my life. I can walk the halls and just blend in; it's fun!" Ally says, "I'm finally comfortable being myself. I'm happy."

Yellow Ribbon Advance is funded by the US Department of Education, as a Congressionally Directed Spending Award of $2.25 million. Award #P116Z230319. The project contents, however, do not necessarily represent the policy of the Department of Education, and the reader should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government.