As many of us were receiving gifts over winter break, many cadets in Shippensburg University’s Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) Raider Battalion were given a significant gift and opportunity of their own.

Eleven students were given campus-based scholarships in addition to the three national scholarships that were awarded in the fall semester through the Army ROTC Program.
Cadet Michael Chubb, a Military Science level II sophomore, was among those awarded scholarships.

“Receiving a scholarship is a huge opportunity,” Chubb said. “Being on scholarship means that my responsibilities have increased and that now I am locked in and ready to step up to the next level in the program. The financial security of having a scholarship will help me give it 100 percent and look at the mass amount of options ahead of me,” Chubb said.

The full-tuition scholarships that were awarded go to cadets who maintain rigorous standards and succeeded in a competitive selection process in order to prove themselves to the scholarship board.
“In order to receive a scholarship you have to be dedicated not only to the ROTC program, but also to the university and academics.

You have to be willing to volunteer and take on leadership positions even if that means you’re not too sure what to do. To get to this point, you need to figure out where your priorities lie,” scholarship recipient Dani Zepp said.

The scholarships ranged from four years to two-and-a-half based on the cadet’s remaining time at SU. In accepting the scholarships, the cadets are contracted into the U.S. Army and receive greater responsibilities within Shippensburg’s Raider Battalion.

The 11 cadets given campus-based scholarships span many different backgrounds and stories, but all maintain a commitment to the Army Values and want a future in the U.S. Army. Some will go into the active component and serve in the Army as their full-time job while others seek out a future in the National Guard or Army Reserve which allows the opportunity to pursue a civilian career as well as give military service.

The 14 cadets awarded scholarships break down into the Military Science Level I (MSI) and Military Science Level II (MSII) classes, which represent the consecutive initial years of involvement into the ROTC program.

“Receiving a scholarship means that it’s time to get serious. It comes with a set of higher standards and knowing that I have to apply myself academically and in extracurriculars because of the greater expectations,” freshman Xiomara Espinosa said.

Through the first years of the program, cadets are challenged to become leaders of moral and ethical character as well as learn practical skills associated with a life of military service. Along with coping with the challenges of being a normal student, the cadets have been pushed into mental and physical training that prepares them for the reality of a life in the military.

The cadets receiving national scholarships this year are John Evans, Casey Strunk and Coby Sullivan.

The cadets receiving campus-based scholarships are Cadet Laura Altman, Cadet Laquon Brown, Cadet Michael Chubb, Cadet Ysmaine Domiciano, Cadet Xiomara Espinosa, Cadet Daniel Kinney, Cadet Christopher Littlejohn, Cadet Michael Rycyzyn, Cadet Coby Smith, Cadet Veronica Witt and Cadet Dani Zepp.

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