Naval Academy grads hope to walk on the moon with NASA team Follow Us Question of the Day ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) - Some kids want to be astronauts when they grow up. Not Kayla Barron. She wanted to be a Naval officer, so that’s what she did. After graduating from the Naval Academy in 2010, Barron, 33, earned a master’s degree in nuclear engineering, became a submarine warfare officer and was deployed three times to the Pacific. Then, she returned to Annapolis to serve as a flag aide, which is a personal assistant to a high-ranking official, to former Superintendent Vice Adm. Walter Carter.