Ten University of Scranton ROTC cadets traveled throughout the United States, as well as to Latvia and Taiwan, as participants in selective military leadership programs offered during the summer months. All of these programs are highly-competitive, with only approximately ten percent of cadets nationwide receiving the opportunity to participate.
“Who wouldn’t love the chance to travel across the pond to learn another language and culture,” said Caleb Grossman, a sophomore international studies major, who studied Russian in Latvia through highly-selective Project Global Officer (Project GO) program. Grossman, Swoyersville, said he knew of this opportunity when he joined the ROTC and hoped he would be able to participate.
Fellow cadet, Conan O’Donnell, a junior history major at Scranton from Elizabethtown, Kentucky, also participated in Project GO, learning Mandarin in Taiwan.
Project GO is a nationwide program open to all qualified ROTC students offering fully-funded opportunities in critical language education, overseas study and cross-cultural experience. Through Project GO, future military officers develop linguistic and cross-cultural communication skills required for effective leadership for all services in the 21st century operational environment.
Ryan Lally, Sussex, New Jersey, a senior cybercrime and homeland security major, and Aidan Szabo, Hillsborough, New Jersey, a senior electrical engineering major, participated in the Cadet Troop Leader Training (CTLT), which provides cadets the opportunity to shadow a junior officer in a branch that they may be interested in joining. Lally went to Fort Cavazos, Texas, and shadowed an engineer Lieutenant within the 36th Engineer Brigade. Szabo went to Fort Moore, Georgia, to learn about the application of armor (battle tanks) with the 316 Cavalry Brigade.
Jenna Leonhardt, Long Valley, New Jersey, Joseph Lynch, Boiling Springs, and Allison Palmer, Massapequa, New York, all senior nursing majors at Scranton, participated in the Nurse Summer Training Program (NSTP), which provides nursing student cadets the opportunity to experience life as an Army nurse at some of the most sophisticated military hospitals in the world. Leonhardt was at the Joint Base San Antonio, Texas, and shadowed Army nurses at Brooke Army Medical Center, one of the largest and best military hospitals in the continental United States. Lynch was at Fort Wainwright, Alaska, and experienced nursing operations at Bassett Army Community Hospital. Palmer was at the Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, and shadowed Army nurses at Madigan Army Medical Center.
Evan Rosa, a junior operations management major from Weehawken, New Jersey, participated in Air Assault Training at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. During the intensive, two-week course he learned to become proficient at rappelling from helicopters and transporting supplies using helicopter sling loads.
Xavier Long, a junior political science major from Germantown, Maryland, participated in the month-long Airborne Training at Fort Moore, Georgia, where he learned to execute airborne operations, including how to parachute from military aircraft.
Caroline Shaffern, a junior nursing major from Scranton, participated in Sage Eagle at Fort Bliss, Texas. Sage Eagle is the culminating training course for members of the U.S. Army’s Special Operations community.
