Home is not only made up of the people within those four walls, but often the people beyond them, too. For Molly Susannah Swiger, that sense of home has always extended well past her front door.
Molly grew up in Johns Creek after her family relocated from Roswell in 2007. “We moved from Roswell in 2007, and I lived in Cambridge until I left for the Naval Academy in 2017. As of this May, all five Swiger Kids will have graduated from Chattahoochee High School - Go Cougars!”
Now a Naval Aviator and Lieutenant in the Navy, Molly credits her deep love for home not only to her family, but to the community that helped raise her.
Growing up in a big family meant weekends filled with cousins at high school games and tables crowded with good food at family gatherings. And while aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents lived just minutes away, the Swigers’ circle of support extended even further. When her family faced unimaginable loss, the community showed up in a profound way. “When my mom passed away in 2022, the people of Johns Creek banded around us and helped us through an incredibly difficult time. My dad didn’t have to worry about cooking for 4 months, thanks to the Meal Train they had set up for him,” Molly reflects. “But that is the perfect way to describe John’s Creek - a community that feels like family too. The entire community is supportive in good times and bad.”
For Molly, there is comfort in knowing that while she serves as a naval aviator and flies helicopters around the world, Johns Creek is still watching over the people she loves, and waiting for her safe return home.
“I would not be where I am today without the people in my life and opportunities from Johns Creek. I want to specifically thank Doug Yearwood from Ambush Soccer, now Concorde Fire Alpharetta, my soccer coach growing up, without whom I would not have had the opportunity to play college soccer at the Naval Academy and subsequently commission upon graduation, and Jason Hicks, from Chattahoochee High School, who introduced me to my amazing sponsor family at the Academy. My sponsor dad also flew the MH-60R helicopters in the Navy and is a great mentor of mine, and one of the big reasons I wanted to pursue a career in Naval Aviation. And, finally, I want to thank my family for always supporting me and encouraging me to grow outside of my comfort zone.”
When she’s not flying helicopters or working with sailors, Molly finds her way back to familiar favorites — grabbing a coffee at Peach Coffee Roasters or meeting friends for dinner at Trattoria 141. “The bread and dipping sauce keep me coming back every time,” she says.