Coming out of Sacramento's Cordova High School in 1991, Brooke Noonan decided to postpone further education to gain a little life experience.

"I'm youngest of three kids in my family, and I decided I needed to get some independence," said Noonan, who is an administrative assistant in UC Davis' mechanical and aeronautical engineering department.

She got those life lessons in a tough way, enlisting in the U.S. Navy for a five-year stint. During her service Noonan worked as a radio operator on San Diego-based aircraft carrier, the U.S.S. Kitty Hawk - one of the first combatant ships to include women on its crew, Noonan said.

On the Kitty Hawk Noonan was one of 25 women in the crew of 5,000.

That challenge behind her, Noonan is now in college, working part-time and continuing to test her limits.

After leaving the service, Noonan worked at UC San Diego full-time and took some classes. She moved back to Sacramento in 1999 to get serious about school.

Noonan is now close to finishing up her requirements at American River College and plans to transfer to California State University, Sacramento, to study sociology.

"It's good because if I went to college right out of high school, I wouldn't be as focused as I am now," Noonan said.

She blends her schooling with part-time work at UC Davis, where she assists undergraduate adviser Joyce Favrot in counseling students. It's a step up from her original job responsibilities, Noonan said.

She is also putting her body up to a new venture.

Earlier this year Noonan decided to run San Diego's Rock and Roll Marathon with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Team in Training, an endurance-training program whose participants raise money for leukemia research. Noonan is running her marathon, a 26.2 mile race, in honor of Jessica Leege, a 3-year-old Roseville girl with acute lymphocytic leukemia.

Last week Noonan ran 12 miles. Although she now runs five days a week, she admitted her legs were pretty tired after her 10th mile that day.

"Once you are done, and you get a little something to eat, you are fine." Noonan said. "I just remember that the people we are running for are enduring all the time."

Noonan's marathon is June 2. She hopes to raise $2,200 for the Leukemia Society by then.

What was being a woman on the Kitty Hawk like?

It was a little intimidating at first. We 25 women definitely stuck together. Fortunately, I knew a couple of people that were stationed on the Kitty Hawk before I got there, so they helped me quickly acclimate. Basically, I just tried to keep a positive attitude, and once I got into the groove of my job and met some really great friends, the size of the crew and the ship didn't seem to faze me.

How did you decide to run a marathon?

I always wanted to do the Rock and Roll Marathon when I was in San Diego, but I never thought I could do it on my own. Then my friend who did the California International Marathon told me about Team in Training. I needed that support network.

First it was a personal goal. Now it's for such a good cause that it feels great to be a part of.

Do you have a favorite running route?

I really enjoyed a run at the Nimbus Fish Hatchery along the American River bike trail. We were out there very early and Lake Natoma was really calm.

I like doing any of the runs where we don't have to do laps. I'd prefer to run in a big loop.

What have been your favorite classes over the years?

I absolutely loved my physical anthropology lab. I knew, though, I would never major in it because I'm not science-minded. We went over the non-human primates and their distinguishing features and the early hominids. It was a really fascinating, but hard class.

I also took a classical humanities class that I enjoyed. We studied the Greeks and Romans and read Homer's The Odyssey.

What good movie have you seen recently?

I am still stuck on Moulin Rouge. Everyone laughs at me when I say that. I guess you have to be pretty arty to like it. I loved Ewan McGregor, and I think Nicole Kidman did a good job, too.

What is your next career goal?

Well, I'm still very interested in student advising, so I might try to stay with the university as an adviser. A part of me still wants to migrate back to San Diego when I finish school. I might keep my eyes open for a student affairs officer position at UC San Diego.

And then there is always the possibility of grad school. I'm starting to feel that I may be up for that challenge as well. •