After four years of hard work and determination, the 59-person ROTC class of 2025 will be recognized at their graduation.
On May 17 in the DeBartolo Performing Art Center’s Leighton Concert Hall, a ROTC commencement ceremony will culminate the cadets’ journey through Notre Dame’s ROTC program, which recently received recognition from the Department of Defense as the country’s top Army ROTC institution. The ceremony will mark the beginning of the students’ careers in the U.S. military as they transition from cadets to second lieutenants.
Within the ROTC Army branch, 22 cadets are graduating, 21 of which will be commissioned in May and one in October, after the completion of Cadet Summer Training. 20 cadets attended Notre Dame, and two attended Saint Mary's College.
From ROTC’s Navy, 20 Navy ensigns (ENS) and seven Marine Corps second lieutenants will graduate.
From Air Force, 17 cadets will graduate, 15 from Notre Dame and one from each Saint Mary’s and Holy Cross.
As the ROTC community prepares for the cadets’ transition ceremony, ROTC instructors reflected on their feelings of pride while being witness to the growth of this cohort.
Lt. Col. William Kobbe, a professor of Army science, reflected on ROTC’s Army class of 2025.
“I’m most proud of each of these cadets for their willingness to accept the challenge of coming to Notre Dame and participating in Army ROTC,” Kobbe said. “They individually have their own ‘why Notre Dame’ stories, but they will graduate and commission as teammates. They made me a better Army officer in the process. This class gives me great hope for the future of our Army and our great country.”
Officers in other branches similarly expressed their pride in the class of 2025 for their drive and spirit.
Capt. Lindsey Brewer, an assistant professor of aerospace studies, shared how she believes the class will “impact people in the deepest ways as leaders.” Teary-eyed as she shared her thoughts, Brewer discussed how she has been “really humbled” by the caliber and character of the cadets.
Lt. Adrian Navotas of the Naval branch noted how proud he was to witness the cadets’ Service Assignment Day where “100% of the midshipmen” got into one of their top three choices for warfare communities. Such communities account for a variety of different careers including surface warfare officer, submarine officer, naval aviation, SEAL and naval reactor.
Beyond the officers, the cadets themselves harbor excitement for their service upon graduation. Air force cadets Tyler Leonard and Meghan Lehane shared their different approaches yet similar drives as they graduate from ROTC.
Leonard, an honors political science major, was selected to participate in the Air Force ROTC Education Delay-In Program, through which he will attend Duke Law School as a juris doctor candidate.
“I joined ROTC with the desire to become a judge advocate general, or JAG officer, which is a lawyer in the Air Force,” Leonard explained. “In ROTC, I think that the leadership roles that they put us in, being in a close-knit community that’s both personal and professional, puts you in those situations that require ethical decision making. Every experience highlighted by the interpersonal relationships that I’ve had in this program set me up well to ask the right questions.”
Lehane is an aerospace engineering major. She will serve as a 62EX-B developmental astronautical engineer at Fort George G. Meade, Maryland.
“[My interest in] space hasn’t really been due to clubs or anything academic tangent to my actual studies, but through ROTC, I’ve been able to have what we call professional development training,” Lehane said. “I’ve looked into things like satellite training and studying a foreign language.”
The cadets noted how the ROTC community is evident beyond formal training or courses. Lehane served as vice president of Harmonia and noted how supported she felt when fellow cadets showed up to her performances.
At home in Arizona, Leonard frequently participates in hot pilates. His enjoyment of the workout led him to start a pilates group on campus.
“I started a pilates workout every week in Duncan for ROTC students,“ Leonard said. “I just love to be able to take something that’s really a part of my daily routine at home and to share it with other people and see the community building that can come from working out.”
The cadets highlighted how their strong community has allowed them to persevere through challenges. According to Leonard, he found himself being pushed to become a better leader after taking on a position leading 20 cadets and learning to adapt to individual needs.
Cadet Sian Mignot is a Saint Mary’s student in Army ROTC. Following graduation, she will be commissioned to the reserves in a unit in Tallahassee, Florida.
“My great grandfather served in the Korean War,” Mignot said. “I was born in Korea. My dad’s still in, and there was something about the way he told his stories, the way he would describe his service, and he gave me, at one time, a piece of the Berlin Wall with barbed wire.”
Mignot is the first female in her family to serve in the military. She hopes to be a role model for her younger sisters.
“[The piece of the Berlin Wall] just spoke so great to me that it made me want to serve,“ Mignot said. “My sophomore year is when I contracted, and I am a very emotional person, and I definitely cried afterward when I gave a speech.”
