Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Leah E. Stiles was born in Albany, New York on April 3, 1979. She attended Ballston Spa High School and joined the Navy under the delayed entry program on April 10, 2001.



Petty Officer Stiles attended basic training at Recruit Training

Center, Great Lakes,  Illinois. Upon completion of boot camp, she reported to Photographer's Mate "A" School at Fort Meade, Maryland.



In January 2002, she reported for duty as a Still Photographer at

Visual Information Support Center, Naval Air Station, Oceana Virginia. During her tour there, she was advanced to Petty Officer 3rd Class.



Petty Officer Stiles reported to USS George Washington (CVN-73) (GW) in January 2004 and served as studio photographer, and production supervisor of the photo division. It was on GW, during the ship's 2004 deployment, that she earned both the Enlisted Aviation Warfare Specialist and Enlisted Surface Warfare Specialist designations.  She also advanced to the rank of Petty Officer 2nd Class.



In November 2006, she reported to Navy Public Affairs Support Element East, Detachment Southeast located in Mayport, Florida. It was there that she advanced to Petty Officer 1st Class. While there, she earned her Associates of Arts Degree in Communications from Coastline Community College and was

selected as the CHINFO Shore Sailor of the year for 2008, and NPASE Shore Sailor of the Year for 2008 and 2009.  She was also selected to attend the advanced military visual journalism training at Syracuse University for 2011.



Petty Officer Stiles is married to the handsome Yeoman 2nd Class

Marlando Stiles. Above all, her biggest accomplishment is being the proud parent of three amazing children, Alexzander-13, Ayanna-8, Alyvia-5. There isn't a day that goes by that they don't bring a smile to her face.



Petty Officer Stiles enjoys running and shopping in her free time.



Upon graduation she will report to Combat Camera, Atlantic.



"The brick walls are not there to keep us out; the brick walls are

there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something. The brick walls are there to stop the people who don't want it badly

enough. They are there to stop the other people!" - Randy Pausch