Lander student Mykenzie Hart gives a lot of credit to Lander’s ROTC program for helping her strengthen her academic and leadership skills. Photo submitted by Hart
One special attribute of Lander University is that it is a community made up of several smaller communities. There are always events on campus, clubs to join and societies to become a part of. For Lander student Mykenzie Hart, ROTC is home away from home.
Hart explained that she always knew she wanted to join the Army and, on this journey, she found Lander, a member institution of the Highlander Battalion, along with Newberry College and Presbyterian College. “I told my Dad (who is a Chief Warrant Officer 4 in the Army) that I wanted to join the Army,” she explained, “and he told me the only way he would let that happen is if I got my degree, so he helped me look into and get started in the program and helped me enlist in the National Guard.” In this program, she was able to take her first steps in the right direction as she begins her journey into her future career, and into the world.
Hart credits the program with “shaping me into who I am today,” she said. In the ROTC program, she has been able to create lifelong connections and skills that will be invaluable as she continues to progress in the program and life. “This program has given me friends who I get to have for years past college,” Hard said, “and even friends who I will be able to work alongside in my next unit… It has taught me many skills that will be useful in my future and brought me some of the greatest mentors, friends and peers… I have developed a level of professionalism, effective communication skills, critical thinking [as well as] time and conflict management.”
While the program focuses on preparing students to succeed in service after Lander, it emphasizes academic achievements, too. Hart says that ROTC “has also held me to academic standards and helped me understand that the academic side is just as important as the physical side.”
Participation in ROTC also helps mold cadets into responsible leaders. “I have had opportunities to serve in roles as Company Commander and Battalion Executive Officer,” Hart said. “I have also had the opportunity to lead our Ranger Challenge team as team captain, and to be a part of a meeting with the South Carolina Veterans Affairs Secretary, as well as a separate meeting of Student Leaders and the South Carolina Lieutenant Governor, Pamela Evette.” These experiences and skills will continue to serve her throughout her life and career.
Hart encourages any prospective student to consider joining ROTC. “Even if they are unsure, they should still at least give it a shot,” Hart said. She related to the anxiety of being unfamiliar with these things. “It can be nerve-racking not knowing anyone and possibly not being familiar with Army things,” she added, “but the people in this program will take you in with open arms. You will have many new friends before your first day is over. This was the best decision I ever made. It is so fun and so meaningful.”
Hart emphasized that ROTC at Lander “means the world to me. There is not a single word to describe it. The people in this program are like family to me.” And, this is the type of community Lander strives to create.
To learn more about participation in ROTC at Lander, visit www.lander.edu/rotc.