DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Marianna Pezzella is a freshman on Embry-Riddle's women's soccer team. She excelled both on the field and in the classroom at Riverview High School in her hometown of Sarasota, Florida. A student-athlete with an aptitude for math and physics, she stated that "the heavenly bodies in outer space have sincerely fascinated me", which made Embry-Riddle the perfect place to pursue her degree in Astronomy and Astrophysics. 
 
But Pezzella has another passion – raising awareness about the realities of war and helping those who have served in the United States military. That passion has led to the 18-year-old Pezzella to publish her first book, "The Will to Serve: Stories Untold."
 
The daughter of a former SWAT team commander and lieutenant of the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office, Pezzella has spent much of her life around law enforcement and military personnel. Those interactions gave her insight into the realities of their world and ultimately inspired her to compose and publish a book of short stories and poems based primarily on personal veteran accounts.
 
"During my high school career, I interviewed six U.S. Veterans during the summer of my junior year in high school and was inspired to compose and publish a book for our U.S. Veterans," Pezzella said. "My goal was to raise awareness about the realities of war and to help out the U.S. Veterans who have served our country."
 
"Every day, heroes of war risk their lives to serve and protect our country. The American people owe their freedoms to these brave, unselfish men and women. I want my book to encompass the many aspects of war and the mentality of soldiers which are not often shared in society. I hope my book will inspire Americans to educate themselves about the history of our country and the warriors who have sacrificed for our freedoms, in order to preserve our privileges and liberties in the future."
 
Pezzella's book became available for sale on August 4, 2020. All proceeds from the book will go to support U.S. veterans and their families, along with selected veteran organizations.
 
"The U.S. Veterans are not recognized nearly enough," Pezzella said. "I am aspiring to help them live better lives and continue to grow stronger as they recover from their time serving our country."