My ROTC Story

Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC)

They are athletes, future nurses, Geoscience majors and more. They are the faces of PennWest Edinboro's ROTC. No matter what their backgrounds or plans for the future, the inspiring young men and women who enroll in Edinboro's ROTC program gain valuable life skills including leadership, self-discipline, integrity, confidence and responsibility. The program also provides tuition assistance. Many students graduate debt-free, equipped with the education and experience needed for a successful future.

Meet Some of Our Cadets

	Emily Miller When I first joined PennWest Edinboro’s Army ROTC, I did it for the benefits that I could receive with the program. A few weeks after joining, I realized this program had so much more to offer. I have been pushed beyond my physical and mental limits, gained leadership experience, made lifelong friends and created many memories along the way. Some of my favorite experiences in ROTC were attending Basic Camp, working in an ER at the William Beaumont Army Medical Center in Fort Bliss, Texas, and training with other cadets to compete in the Army Ten Miler. I am so lucky to be a part of this program and gain all of these experiences before graduating college. PennWest Edinboro and the Army ROTC program have given me amazing opportunities and everything I need to be successful in life. I can’t wait to become a commissioned officer in the U.S. Army Nurse Corps.
	Logan Watson I’ve always have had a desire to join the military and develop into the leader and person I’ve always aspired to be. I joined the Edinboro Army ROTC program in the second semester of my freshman year, and I immediately fell in love with the program and its family-like culture. The program provides cadets with multiple benefits ranging from gaining valuable knowledge and skills, to tuition assistance and professional development. The thing I love most about this program is the values and knowledge it has instilled within me. This has helped me in many facets, from public speaking to focusing on my academics. During my junior year, I earned a room-and-board scholarship along with a two-year tuition scholarship. Essentially, I am getting paid to go to school! The most memorable moment of ROTC so far was the opportunity of going to Basic Camp this past summer at Fort Knox, Ky. This was my first real taste of what the U.S. Army had to offer, pushing myself to become more physically and mentally tough. While training at Fort Knox, I had the opportunity to meet other cadets who originated anywhere from Guam to Puerto Rico. This experience showed me how diverse the Army truly is. I am extremely fortunate to have been provided the opportunity to serve my country.
	Corinne Pfeil From the time I was 10 years old I wanted to join the military. My initial thought was just to enlist, but that was before I visited PennWest Edinboro. After talking over the list of benefits that the Army ROTC had to offer, my college career began! Through scholarships and contracting, Army ROTC has helped me in pursuing my education. Without Army ROTC, I would have never chosen to pursue my bachelor’s with the hopes of one day being a doctor, as I would not have chosen college. I am currently president of the Shooting Sports Club and have been entrusted with its growth by the university. On or off campus, you are seen as a trusted, responsible adult because of the values you adopt as a cadet in the Army ROTC program. While in the program, I have gotten lost in the woods, rolled in the mud, ran 10 miles in Washington, D.C., rappelled off 60-foot towers and pushed my mind and body to the absolute maximum! Army ROTC keeps me on track with school by pushing me to do my best in academics and keeps me in shape with early morning workouts. Through the plentiful memories, experiences and knowledge from Army ROTC, I know I will excel in all future positions as an U.S. Army Commissioned Officer and as a citizen.
	Timothy Suter When I was younger, my dream was to go to college, compete as an athlete, and serve in the military as my relatives have before me. However, financially, that wasn’t feasible for me unless I could pay for school myself. I learned from a relative that I could attend a college that offered ROTC and compete for a military contract and scholarship, paying for my tuition. During my visit at Edinboro, I learned that the Army ROTC program here offered the scholarships and contracts that could help me pursue my goals. I have recently been awarded a contract through the Army ROTC program and now I can focus solely on academics, wrestling and becoming a Commissioned Officer on the greatest team in the world. This was all made possible by inspiration from my family and the great staff at the Army ROTC program. I have developed and will continue to develop myself by living up to the Army values. I am truly blessed for this great opportunity and thank the Army ROTC program for making my dreams a reality.
	Loghan Sankey Having a desire to serve in the military since 10th grade, I knew I wanted to pursue a route to become a Commissioned Officer. Taking a year off after high school, I decided I wanted to join an ROTC program to accomplish that goal. PennWest Edinboro was the first school I visited during that year off, and I was hooked on their Army ROTC program from the start. Becoming part of something bigger than myself has been one of the greatest feelings and best decisions I have made. The Edinboro Army ROTC program has brought me lifelong friends and memories and has taught me so many valuable things to aid in my success at being an Army Commissioned Officer upon graduation. The ROTC program keeps me focused on maintaining good academic standings and motivated to keep up my physical fitness, which eventually led to me receiving a 2.5-year full-tuition scholarship and contract with the U.S. Army. I am so glad I ended up at PennWest Edinboro and became a part of their Army ROTC program.
	Lyndsey Good I joined Edinboro Army ROTC because after the first week of participating, I knew I was part of a family. The Army ROTC program provides you with a lot of benefits, but the thing I love most about it is the family atmosphere. I am part of something and made friends from the first day. The Edinboro Army ROTC program has provided me with leadership knowledge and experience that you cannot get anywhere else. I will come out of college debt-free and with a job because the program awarded me with a room-and-board scholarship and a three-year tuition scholarship. It does not get any better than that! Some of the most rewarding experiences I have had through the ROTC program were traveling to Washington, D.C, to participate in the Army Ten Miler, traveling to Kaiserslautern, Germany, to train with a Combat Support Hospital for a month, and getting certified to scuba dive. I have been extremely lucky to have had these experiences and I am excited for the opportunities that lie ahead of me.
	Ryan Stratton Being raised on a farm, I loved the value of hard work and being outdoors. I had played sports all my life and loved serving others. I had a cousin who had gone through the ROTC department and really looked up to him and the values he lived by. All my life I had been a member of a team, and I thought there is no greater team to be on than the U.S. Army. Since I have become a part of the program here, I am able to walk and talk more confidently from the skills and values it has instilled in me. The values that I have learned and instilled here will be carried and placed into my family. Being able to have different leadership roles has really made me become more responsible. Their mistakes become my mistakes; I don’t think you will get that amount of responsibility at such a young age anywhere else. My most memorable moment was getting the opportunity to go to Basic Camp this summer. Meeting up with people from all different parts of the country and different backgrounds was really unique and special. We had cadets that grew up in the country like myself, and then the cadet next to me may have been raised in the inner city.
	Owen Tshudy Toward the end of my senior year I began to explore more options, and joining ROTC stuck out as a wonderful way to expand my horizons. Within a week I had a chance to meet with the cadre and I decided to try it out for a semester. I ended up sticking with it and haven’t looked back. ROTC has pushed me to limits I had never experienced before, from staying focused on schoolwork to keeping my self-thinking positive and staying motivated. By the beginning of my sophomore year, I and a few other cadets had earned a scholarship contract which included paying for tuition, a book allowance and a monthly stipend which increases every year. I have had the opportunity to attend schools and courses that have increased my knowledge of leadership and technical ability that will assist me throughout my life. One of my favorite parts of ROTC is the comradery. No matter what is going on in my life, I know that I have a family of cadets and cadre that I can lean on for guidance and strength.
	Amber Bokshan At first, I became a part of the Fighting Scots Battalion to simply give it a try but soon came to appreciate all it had to offer. Through our ROTC program, I have gained lifelong friends, scholarship money and an abundance of memories. Some highlights throughout my time with Edinboro ROTC have been during our Fall FTX where we get to rappel off a tower, challenge our land navigation skills and bond as classmates and friends. PennWest Edinboro and the ROTC program have given me the skills necessary to be successful in life.
	Dave Richards I can always remember having a desire to become an Army officer. ROTC has given me the training that has developed me into the Army leader I always aspired to be, and my experiences remind me every day why I joined the Army and chose such a rare walk of life. PennWest Edinboro has given me an education, ROTC has given me direction and purpose and the Fighting Scots battalion has given that which is most important: a home. My first summer as an Edinboro student, I was selected for an Army training program which sent me to Slovakia in Eastern Europe. I climbed mountains, slept in caves, toured restored ancient castles and castle ruins, ate European-specific cuisine and experienced everyday Slovak culture for three weeks. My second summer, I shadowed an active duty first lieutenant as he led his platoon through a combined arms live fire exercise. ROTC has provided me with lifelong friends, memories and stories. The ROTC program has given me the foundation of all the necessary skills needed to be successful in life.