TCA Monthly Alumni Spotlight – James Seelye
A Man of God. A Man of Valor. An Alum of TCA.
This month, TCA is honored to spotlight Lieutenant Commander James Seelye, a United States Navy Veteran and 1990 TCA alum. LCDR Seelye currently works as a Defense Consultant for Nuclear Command, Control, and Communications at Technique Solutions; is a husband to Jennifer; and loving father to Ashlynn, Haley, Madison, and Jacob. When not busy with work, James enjoys hobbies in aviation, fitness, and travel. To date he has traveled to all 50 states, 2 U.S. territories, and 26 countries.
James grew up in the neighborhood of Hyde Park, and despite having a father in the Navy, he spent his entire childhood in Jacksonville. Throughout that time, he attended a small private school at Wesconnett Free Will Baptist Church before transferring to TCA at 10th grade. While James accepted Christ very young in the 1st grade, he credits TCA with strengthening his foundational knowledge of the Bible. He also fondly recalls his favorite memory as one of his hardest classes—physics. “[I was] one of the few people that took physics,” said James. “We had a lot of fun!” James carried this can-do attitude through the years as he obtained his Associate of Arts Degree from Florida State College Jacksonville and Bachelor of Science in Geography from Jacksonville University (JU). James accomplished this all while working part-time at UPS and participating in the NROTC Unit at JU.
Achievement after achievement, James has been steadfast in handing his dreams over to God and trusting that He will do His part, and He does—every single time. His motto is, “I will do all the work at my level, all the studying, all the reading, all the footwork, but God, He will do the rest. All the stuff that I have no control over and all the stuff that I have no idea of.” James uses this phrase consistently because he realizes just how much everything is out of our hands, yet God always has everything under control.
After graduation, James was commissioned through the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps program. He later attended the U.S. Naval War College and received a Master of Arts in National Security and Strategic Studies in 2009. During his 20 years of service in the Navy James has completed seven major assignments, multiple deployments and has received several personal decorations and awards. Yet throughout all the accomplishments, James remains filled with humility. “I am humbled every single day at the blessings God has bestowed on me and my family,” said James. “Hopefully, my story will inspire even just a little bit in others, whether they are at TCA right now or an alumni like me.”
James acknowledges TCA with preparing him for his monumental success over the years and offers sound advice to current and future students looking to attend TCA. “Take the hard courses that will prepare you best for college now,” said James. “[Always] maintain focus on God, work hard, and let God take care of the rest.”
To learn more about TCA and how it empowered other alum like James to discover and live out their God-given purpose, visit https://tcajax.org/.