Nineteen cadets became second lieutenants at Fordham’s annual Army ROTC commissioning ceremony, held May 20 at the University Church on the Rose Hill campus.
“This University has led the way in graduating men and women of strong character” for 175 years, and has “contributed immensely to the fabric of our nation’s history,” said the guest speaker, retired Lt. Gen. Mary Legere, former senior advisor to the secretary of the Army and the Army chief of staff.
Members of this year’s ROTC class—drawn from a number of area universities including Fordham—will enter occupations ranging from finance and intelligence to engineering and infantry.
The General Jack Keane Outstanding Leader Award was bestowed on cadet Esther Kim, GABELLI ’16, one of only 13 women commissioned this year to be chosen for the Army’s armor branch, which, along with infantry, was opened to women in January.
